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Focus on HER pathways in cancer: Summary

Dysregulation of signaling pathways contributes to cancer

• In cancer, cellular signals may be inappropriately turned on, resulting in the uncontrolled growth and spread of tumor cells³

HER pathways play a key role in the development of many cancers

• The HER family of receptors controls a number of signaling pathways¹
• Inappropriate activation of HER signaling pathways has been linked to the development of numerous tumor types, including^{5, 8-11}:
  • Breast cancer
  • Non-small cell lung cancer
  • Ovarian cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Prostate cancer
  • Head and neck cancer
  • Glioblastoma multiforme

HER signaling pathways are complex

• The multistep process of HER pathway signaling includes^1,2:
  • Ligand binding
  • Receptor dimerization
  • Tyrosine kinase domain activation
  • Downstream molecular signals
• New preclinical and clinical research continues to expand our understanding of the relationship between HER pathway dysfunction and cancer

HER pathways are potential therapeutic targets

• Because HER pathways are involved in the development of cancer, they may represent therapeutic targets
• There are several strategies to target HER pathways. Targets may include:
  • Ligands¹
  • Extracellular receptor domain (activation and dimerization)¹²
  • Intracellular receptor domain (tyrosine kinase)¹³
  • Downstream signaling molecules¹

 

Next Section: Overview: References

References

Overview