News Release

Other highlights from the April 18 Journal of the National Cancer Institute

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Journal of the National Cancer Institute

New Culture Technique Could Lead to Drug Discoveries

A novel cell culture technique for a noninvasive breast malignancy known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) could facilitate the discovery of new drugs to prevent DCIS recurrence or progression.

Gillian Farnie, Ph.D, of the University of Manchester in England, and colleagues developed a novel method to culture DCIS cells, and using this method, they examined the role of the epidermal growth factor receptor and Notch signaling pathways in the growth of DCIS. They found that both pathways were involved in self-renewal of DCIS cells; the former was necessary for DCIS growth, and the latter was important for cell survival.

"To our knowledge, no culture technique for DCIS exists; thus, the nonadherent culture technique that we describe should be useful for isolating tumor-forming epithelial cells from their primary DCIS lesions to allow a better understanding of their growth," the authors write.

Contact: Gillian Farnie, Ph.D, of the University of Manchester, 0161 446 3212, Gillian.Farnie@manchester.ac.uk


Shortened HER2 Gene Responds to Lapatinib, Not Trastuzumab

Breast cancer cells expressing a shortened form of the HER2 gene can be treated with lapatinib, but they are resistant to another drug known as trastuzumab.

HER2 is a gene in the epidermal growth factor receptor family that plays a role in regulating cell growth. In about 15 to 20 percent of breast cancers, HER2 is overexpressed, and women with these kinds of tumors have a worse than average prognosis. Many breast cancers that express HER2 are resistant to the HER2 antibody trastuzumab, a drug often used to treat HER2-positive breast cancer. Some are resistant because they express p95HER2, a shortened form of the receptor that cannot bind to trastuzumab.

Maurizio Scaltriti, of the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and Research Institute in Barcelona, and colleagues compared how tumors expressing p95HER2 and those expressing HER2 responded to treatment with trastuzumab or lapatinib, another drug for treating HER2-positive breast cancer. The researchers measured the growth of breast cancer tumors in mice treated with each drug. They found that p95HER2-expressing tumors were resistant to trastuzumab but responded to treatment with lapatinib.

"Our findings support that further characterization of HER2 expressing breast tumors, based on the presence or absence of p95HER2, may assist in the selection of the appropriate anti-HER2 therapy," the authors write.

Contact: Maurizio Scaltriti, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and Research Institute, mscaltriti@ir.vhebron.net


Also in the March 21 JNCI:

Cancer patients are at high risk for potential drug interactions, http://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2007-04/jotn-pa041307.php

Long-term use of adult-strength aspirin linked to a moderate decreased cancer risk, http://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2007-04/jotn-uo041307.php

Study finds no survival benefit for gastric cancer patients, http://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2007-04/jotn-fn041307.php

The 1p-Encoded Protein Stathmin and Resistance of Malignant Gliomas to Nitrosoureas, http://www.eurekalert.org/jrnls/jnci/99-8Ngo.pdf

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Note: The Journal of the National Cancer Institute is published by Oxford University Press and is not affiliated with the National Cancer Institute. Attribution to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute is requested in all news coverage. Visit the Journal online at http://jncicancerspectrum.oxfordjournals.org/.


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