Open AccessInteractions between tumor cells and microenvironment in breast cancer: A new opportunity for targeted therapy
Author(s) -
Mitra Shreya,
StemkeHale Katherine,
Mills Gordon B.,
Claerhout Sofie
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
cancer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 1347-9032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2011.02183.x
Subject(s) - breast cancer , tumor microenvironment , cancer , medicine , cancer research , oncology , breast tumor , mechanism (biology) , bioinformatics , biology , philosophy , epistemology
Breast cancer remains the leading cause of morbidity and second‐leading cause of death in women. Despite efforts to uncover new targeted therapies, a vast number of women die due to refractory or recurrent breast tumors. Most breast cancer studies have focused on the intrinsic characteristics of breast tumor cells, including altered growth, proliferation, and metabolism. However, emerging research suggests that the tumor microenvironment can substantially affect relapse rates and therapeutic responses. In this review, we discuss the interactions between the tumor and microenvironment in breast cancer, with regard to mutational profiles and altered metabolism that could serve as potential therapeutic targets. We also describe current technologies available to study these interactions. ( Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 400–407)