New mechanism of acquired resistance to breast cancer drugs

In the search for new approaches to treat ERBB2 positive breast cancers that have become drug-resistant, researchers have discovered a novel cancer resistance mechanism. "Approximately 25% of breast cancers overexpress and depend on the protein ERBB2 for survival," said the lead investigator. "Current therapies take advantage of this by using targeted drugs such as Trastuzumab or Lapatinib to specifically inhibit ERBB2, but eventually they become ineffective as the cancer develops resistance to those drugs."
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - Category: Science Source Type: news