Mechanisms of Resistance to HER2 Target Therapy

In the past years, several agents targeting signaling proteins critical for breast cancer growth and dissemination entered clinical evaluation. They include drugs directed against the HER/ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases, especially HER2; several downstream signal transducers; and proteins involved in tumor angiogenesis and dissemination. Unfortunately, resistance to targeted agents is a quite common feature, and understanding of the molecular mechanisms predicting response or failure has become a crucial issue to optimize treatment and select patients who are the best candidates to respond. The neoadjuvant setting offers unique opportunities allowing tumor sampling and search for molecular determinants of response. A variety of tumor and host factors may account for the onset of resistance. Major progress has been made in the understanding of the mechanisms involved in the primary and acquired resistance to targeted agents, especially the anti-HER2 drugs, which play a pivotal role in the weaponry against breast cancer.