Insight into p95HER2 in breast cancer: molecular mechanisms and targeted therapies

Abstract

Breast cancer afflicts more than 1.3 million people worldwide and is the main cause of cancer-related deaths among women. Many efforts are underway to develop new therapeutic and biomarker strategies for the management of this disease. Hormone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) are currently the most important molecular tools in this regard. Moreover, targeted therapies including trastuzumab in particular are the primary treatment in both the adjuvant and recurrent settings. However, many studies reported that selected patients may present with resistance to trastuzumab due to the presence of p95HER2 fragments. To address this challenge, drugs such as lapatinib and others described in recent patents promise alternative therapeutic options. We discuss the most recent patents related to HER2 and p95HER2 fragments for breast cancer treatment.