Received for publication October 26, 2007.
Revised November 1, 2007.
Accepted for publication November 2, 2007.

Revoking the Privilege: Targeting HER2 in the CNS (Relates to article by Emanuel, et al., Fast Forward 1 Nov 07)

Abstract

Pharmacologic agents developed for cancer therapy have traditionally relied on a therapeutic ratio of effects between tumors and normal tissue. Over the past decade this concept has been refined through the development of agents that are intended to specifically target tumor cells. The EGFR (ErbB) family of receptor tyrosine kinases is an intensely studied target in many cancer cell types and several successful therapeutic agents have been developed to block the growth promoting functions of these receptors. However, with their success has come the evolution of novel clinical scenarios by which tumor cells can evade specific therapies. Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody to Her2/ErbB2 that is utilized in breast cancer, has been shown to provide a survival benefit for patients whose tumors express this receptor, but does not have activity in the central nervous system due to the blood brain barrier. Efforts to improve current strategies of targeting this receptor may lead not only to benefits in the treatment of breast cancer but also to advances in the treatment of other CNS malignancies such as gliomas and medulloblastoma.

Key words: NGF/EGF, Metastasis, Resistance