BACKGROUND: Many patients with breast cancer receive no benefit from their treatment. This has led to a search for novel therapeutic targets whose identification may facilitate a more tailored approach, thereby avoiding unnecessary toxicity. Of these, topoisomerase 2 alpha (TOP2A), located at the HER2/neu amplicon on chromosome 17, has generated particular interest because its expression has been shown to correlate with response to anthracycline-based therapies. METHODS: We evaluated the relationship between TOP2A and its collocated gene, HER2/neu, and summarized the evidence for and against confining anthracycline-based therapies to those patients who demonstrate increased expression or amplification of these targets. RESULTS: The emerging consensus supports the restriction of anthracyclines to those patients who are HER2/neu positive, with the evidence suggesting that alterations in the status of TOP2A are almost completely restricted to this group of patients. CONCLUSIONS: It seems increasingly likely that response to anthracyclines is predicated on these alterations.
BACKGROUND: Many patients with breast cancer receive no benefit from their treatment. This has led to a search for novel therapeutic targets whose identification may facilitate a more tailored approach, thereby avoiding unnecessary toxicity. Of these, topoisomerase 2 alpha (TOP2A), located at the HER2/neu amplicon on chromosome 17, has generated particular interest because its expression has been shown to correlate with response to anthracycline-based therapies. METHODS: We evaluated the relationship between TOP2A and its collocated gene, HER2/neu, and summarized the evidence for and against confining anthracycline-based therapies to those patients who demonstrate increased expression or amplification of these targets. RESULTS: The emerging consensus supports the restriction of anthracyclines to those patients who are HER2/neu positive, with the evidence suggesting that alterations in the status of TOP2A are almost completely restricted to this group of patients. CONCLUSIONS: It seems increasingly likely that response to anthracyclines is predicated on these alterations.
Authors: Anna Zaczek; Aleksandra Markiewicz; Anna Supernat; Natalia Bednarz-Knoll; Burkhardt Brandt; Barbara Seroczyńska; Jarosław Skokowski; Jolanta Szade; Piotr Czapiewski; Wojciech Biernat; Marzena Wełnicka-Jaśkiewicz; Jacek Jassem Journal: Pathol Oncol Res Date: 2012-03-18 Impact factor: 3.201