Work

Estradiol as a Targeted, Late-Line Therapy in Metastatic Breast Cancer with Estrogen Receptor Amplification

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: Estradiol is a major regulator of growth for the subset of breast cancers that express the estrogen receptor (ER, ESR1). Strategies to block ER action, via reduction of estradiol or direct inhibition of ER, have shown major success in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. However, most ER-positive (ER+) metastatic breast cancers (MBC) eventually become resistant to these interventions. Interestingly, high dose estrogen can induce apoptosis in breast cancer cell lines, and high-dose estrogen has been used for over 50 years as therapy for ER+ breast cancer. The mechanism for growth control of MBC by high dose estrogen is unclear. We present a patient with metastatic breast cancer whose tumor was found to have amplification of ESR1 by tumor genome sequencing. This patient was treated with high dose estradiol and subsequently experienced a sustained partial response, which was predicted by prior experiments with patient-derived xenograft animal models containing breast cancers with ER amplification.

Source: Cureus

DOI: 10.7759/cureus.1434

Authors: Karthik Kota, Adam Brufsky, Steffi Oesterreich, Adrian Lee

Institutions: University of Pittsburgh, Magee-Womens Hospital, UPMC Presbyterian, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie

Language: English

Topic: Estrogen and related hormone effects

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W2732812506