Menu
Back to Journals » Breast Cancer: Targets and Therapy » Volume 3
Emerging role of brain metastases in the prognosis of breast cancer patients
Authors Hambrecht A, Jandial R, Neman J
Published 10 August 2011 Volume 2011:3 Pages 79—91
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/BCTT.S19967
Review by Single anonymous peer review
Peer reviewer comments 5
Amanda Hambrecht1,2, Rahul Jandial2, Josh Neman2
1Department of Biology, University of Southern California; 2Department of Neurosurgery, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Cancer Center, CA, USA
Abstract: Cancer starts with one rogue cell. Through mutations and genomic alterations, the cell acquires specific and stem cell-like characteristics necessary for invasion of a distant organ and ultimately metastasis. Metastatic brain cancer is a particularly formidable disease because of its poor prognosis and the highly resistant nature of the tumor to chemotherapy. Although several types of primary tumors have a tendency to metastasize to the brain, the incidence of brain metastases has increased dramatically in some subsets of breast cancer patients. Several conventional treatments are available, but success is limited and often short-lived. Given that no standard treatment options exist, there is a significant need to investigate the biology of these clinically recalcitrant tumors.
Keywords: metastasis, breast cancer, blood-brain barrier, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, mesenchymal-epithelial transition
© 2011 The Author(s). This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.
By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.