Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Serum soluble epidermal growth factor receptor concentrations decrease in postmenopausal metastatic breast cancer

Jacqueline M Lafky¹, Andre T Baron, Elsa M Cora

¹Tumor Biology Program, Cancer Center Statistics Unit, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.

Cancer Research

|April 19, 2005

Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Spatially resolved single-cell landscape of tumor immunotypes reveals the central role of interferon signaling and plasmacytoid dendritic cells in triple-negative breast cancer.

Journal for immunotherapy of cancer·2026

Same author

Cognitive Impairment and Chemoendocrine vs Endocrine Therapy in Pre- and Postmenopausal Women: A Secondary Analysis of the RxPONDER Randomized Clinical Trial.

JAMA oncology·2025

Same author

Adjunctive statistical standardization of quantitated adjuvant HER2 and ultra-low HER2 in Canadian Cancer Trials Group MA.27 trial of exemestane versus anastrozole.

Breast cancer research and treatment·2025

Same author

Multiplex Spatial Proteomic Analysis of HER2-Positive Breast Tumors Reveals Unique Molecular and Immunologic Features Associated With Treatment Response.

JCO precision oncology·2025

Same author

Pembrolizumab in Combination with Binimetinib in Patients with Unresectable Locally Advanced or Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research·2025

Same author

Five-Year Outcomes of Moderately Hypofractionated Proton Therapy Incorporating Elective Pelvic Nodal Irradiation for High-Risk Prostate Cancer.

International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics·2024

Serum soluble epidermal growth factor receptor (sEGFR) levels did not differ in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients before treatment. However, sEGFR significantly decreased after letrozole therapy, suggesting a potential biomarker for treatment response.

Area of Science:

Oncology
Endocrinology
Biochemistry

Background:

Estrogen influences epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in breast tumors.
Soluble EGFR (sEGFR) is a potential biomarker in various cancers.
The relationship between estrogen, sEGFR, and breast cancer treatment is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the effect of letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, on serum sEGFR concentrations in postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC).
To explore the potential of sEGFR as a biomarker for monitoring response to endocrine therapy.

Main Methods:

Serum sEGFR levels were measured in postmenopausal women with MBC before and after 1 and 3 months of letrozole treatment.
Concentrations were compared to age- and postmenopause-matched healthy controls.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

No significant difference in sEGFR was observed between MBC patients and healthy controls before treatment (P = 0.468).
Serum sEGFR concentrations significantly decreased in 76% of MBC patients after 1 month (P = 0.006) and 3 months (P = 0.003) of letrozole therapy.
No association was found between sEGFR levels and progression-free or overall survival.

Conclusions:

Letrozole therapy significantly reduces serum sEGFR concentrations in metastatic breast cancer patients.
Further prospective studies are needed to evaluate sEGFR's utility in predicting disease progression, survival, and monitoring response to aromatase inhibitors.