Targeted therapies in the management of breast cancer

The incidence of cancer is increasing in the United Kingdom. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the UK with an age standardised rate of 124 per 100,000 women. It accounts for almost one-third of all female cases of cancer in the UK and it is the most common form of cancer among women in both developing and developed countries. There are many management options for cancer such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Surgery has been the main treatment option for many solid tumours for several decades. However, research has shown that attacking specific targets within tumours such as receptors, intracellular proteins and genes could result in better clinical outcome. Promising therapeutic targets that have been identified include Raf kinase, Src, HER2, epidermal growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor. After several decades of intensive research, it appears that we are finally hitting cancer where it hurts. It is very likely that in the near future, more targets for potential therapies would be identified and ultimately, there would be significant reduction in morbidity and mortality from cancers, including breast cancer.