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Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts from Mouse Mammary Tumors as Tools for Molecular and Computational Studies
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Fibroblast growth factor receptors in breast cancer: expression, downstream effects, and possible drug targets

M Tenhagen1, P J van Diest, I A Ivanova

  • 1Department of Pathology Division of Internal Medicine and Dermatology, University Medical Center Utrecht, PO Box 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Endocrine-Related Cancer
|April 18, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) are key in breast cancer development. Targeting FGFRs offers a promising therapeutic strategy for specific breast cancer patient subgroups with genetic aberrations.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Cancer therapy increasingly targets individual patient tumor molecular mechanisms.
  • Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) are implicated in oncogenesis and are potential drug targets for breast cancer.
  • FGFRs regulate critical cellular processes like proliferation, angiogenesis, and migration, which are often altered in tumors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review in vitro and in vivo models that elucidate the molecular implications of genetic aberrations in FGFRs.
  • To understand the resulting tumor characteristics associated with FGFR alterations.
  • To assess the therapeutic potential of targeting FGFRs in breast cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Review of in vitro studies on FGFR genetic aberrations.
  • Review of in vivo models investigating FGFRs in breast cancer.
  • Analysis of molecular mechanisms and tumor characteristics linked to FGFR alterations.

Main Results:

  • Genetic aberrations in FGFRs (amplifications and mutations) are present in specific breast cancer subgroups.
  • These aberrations impact tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, and migration.
  • In vitro and in vivo models have provided insights into the functional consequences of these genetic changes.

Conclusions:

  • FGFRs represent a significant therapeutic target for breast cancer.
  • Understanding FGFR genetic aberrations is crucial for developing targeted therapies.
  • Targeting FGFRs may offer personalized treatment options for breast cancer patients with specific genetic alterations.

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