Clinical overview of sorafenib in breast cancer.

Breast carcinoma remains the most common malignancy of women around the world, and despite the advances in the early diagnosis and adjuvant treatment of this disease, many women still relapse with metastatic breast cancer. There is therefore an urgent need for the development and testing of novel agents targeting pathways thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Aberrant activation of the Ras/Raf/MAPK/ERK kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase cascade and the VEGF pathway are commonly observed in breast cancer cells leading to malignant cell proliferation, cell growth, prevention of apoptosis, tumor invasion and neo-angiogenesis. Sorafenib is an oral multikinase inhibitor that inhibits tumor growth and proliferation by interfering with several receptor tyrosine kinases involved in the pathogenesis and perpetuation of malignant breast cancer cells. This article reviews previous experiences and current and future development strategies of sorafenib in breast cancer.