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Taurelli Salimbeni B, Corvaja C, Valenza C, Zagami P, Curigliano G. The triple negative breast cancer drugs graveyard: a review of failed clinical trials 2017-2022. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2022; 31:1203-1226. [PMID: 36413823 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2022.2151433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 15-20% of breast cancers (BC) and has the worst prognosis. It is characterized by the absence of both hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). TNBC has more limited therapeutic options compared to other subtypes, meaning that there is still a long way to go to discover target treatments. AREAS COVERED Our review aims to summarize phase II/III clinical trials enrolling patients with TNBC that have been published between 2017 and 2022 but failed to reach their primary endpoint. We here try to emphasize the limitations and weaknesses noted in negative studies and to point out unexpected results which might be useful to enhance the therapeutic approach to TNBC disease. EXPERT OPINION A deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind TNBC heterogeneity allowed to enhance the knowledge of new prognostic and predictive biomarkers of response. However, it is also through several failed clinical trials that we were able to define new therapeutic approaches which improved TNBC patients' clinical outcomes. Nowadays, we still need to overcome several difficulties to fully recognize different intracellular and extracellular pathways that crosstalk in TNBC and the mechanisms of resistance to identify novel tailored-patients' therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Taurelli Salimbeni
- Division of New Drugs and Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapies, European Institute of Oncology, Irccs, Milan, Italy.,Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Oncology Unit, "la Sapienza" University of Rome, Azienda Ospedaliera Sant'Andrea, Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Corvaja
- Division of New Drugs and Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapies, European Institute of Oncology, Irccs, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medicine, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Carmine Valenza
- Division of New Drugs and Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapies, European Institute of Oncology, Irccs, Milan, Italy.,Department of Oncology and Haematology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Zagami
- Division of New Drugs and Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapies, European Institute of Oncology, Irccs, Milan, Italy.,Department of Oncology and Haematology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Giuseppe Curigliano
- Division of New Drugs and Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapies, European Institute of Oncology, Irccs, Milan, Italy.,Department of Oncology and Haematology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Kwon A, Lee GB, Park T, Lee JH, Ko P, You E, Ahn JH, Eom SH, Rhee S, Song WK. Potent Small-Molecule Inhibitors Targeting Acetylated Microtubules as Anticancer Agents Against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Biomedicines 2020; 8:E338. [PMID: 32917017 PMCID: PMC7555225 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8090338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Microtubules are one of the major targets for anticancer drugs because of their role in cell proliferation and migration. However, as anticancer drugs targeting microtubules have side effects, including the death of normal cells, it is necessary to develop anticancer agents that can target microtubules by specifically acting on cancer cells only. In this study, we identified chemicals that can act as anticancer agents by specifically binding to acetylated microtubules, which are predominant in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The chemical compounds disrupted acetylated microtubule lattices by interfering with microtubule access to alpha-tubulin acetyltransferase 1 (αTAT1), a major acetyltransferase of microtubules, resulting in the increased apoptotic cell death of MDA-MB-231 cells (a TNBC cell line) compared with other cells, such as MCF-10A and MCF-7, which lack microtubule acetylation. Moreover, mouse xenograft experiments showed that treatment with the chemical compounds markedly reduced tumor growth progression. Taken together, the newly identified chemical compounds can be selective for acetylated microtubules and act as potential therapeutic agents against microtubule acetylation enrichment in TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahreum Kwon
- Cell Logistics and Silver Health Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Korea;
| | - Gwi Bin Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Korea; (G.B.L.); (T.P.); (J.H.A.); (S.H.E.)
| | - Taein Park
- Department of Chemistry, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Korea; (G.B.L.); (T.P.); (J.H.A.); (S.H.E.)
| | - Jung Hoon Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA;
| | - Panseon Ko
- Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea; (P.K.); (E.Y.)
| | - Eunae You
- Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea; (P.K.); (E.Y.)
| | - Jin Hee Ahn
- Department of Chemistry, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Korea; (G.B.L.); (T.P.); (J.H.A.); (S.H.E.)
| | - Soo Hyun Eom
- Department of Chemistry, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Korea; (G.B.L.); (T.P.); (J.H.A.); (S.H.E.)
| | - Sangmyung Rhee
- Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea; (P.K.); (E.Y.)
| | - Woo Keun Song
- Cell Logistics and Silver Health Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Korea;
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