Alanazi Ibrahim O, Khan Zahid
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Genome Center, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia E-mail :
Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2016;17(2):445-53. doi: 10.7314/apjcp.2016.17.2.445.
Epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs/HERs) and downstream signaling pathways have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several malignancies including breast cancer and its resistance to treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs. Consequently, several monoclonal antibodies as well as small molecule inhibitors targeting these pathways have emerged as therapeutic tools in the recent past. However, studies have shown that utilizing these molecules in combination with chemotherapy has yielded only limited success. This review describes the current understanding of EGFRs/HERs and associated signaling pathways in relation to development of breast cancer and responses to various cancer treatments in the hope of pointing to improved prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Also, we review the role of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) in disease and the potential to target these cells.
表皮生长因子受体（EGFRs/HERs）及其下游信号通路与包括乳腺癌在内的多种恶性肿瘤的发病机制及其对化疗药物治疗的耐药性有关。因此，近年来，几种针对这些信号通路的单克隆抗体以及小分子抑制剂已成为治疗手段。然而，研究表明，将这些分子与化疗联合使用仅取得了有限的成功。本综述描述了目前对EGFRs/HERs及相关信号通路与乳腺癌发生发展及对各种癌症治疗反应的理解，以期为改进预防、诊断和治疗提供方向。此外，我们还综述了乳腺癌干细胞（BCSCs）在疾病中的作用以及靶向这些细胞的潜力。
