What is the future of breast cancer research likely to tell us?
Some of the most promising breast cancer research is investigating new treatments. New therapies are being explored that target very specific properties of breast cancer cells. Trastuzumab (Herceptin) is the first drug in its class approved for use in breast cancer. It binds to a protein on the surface of breast cancer cells and prevents a circulating factor from binding to those cells and promoting cancer growth. Other drugs that will also thwart a substance called epidermal growth factor are in the early phases of clinical testing. Drugs that inhibit angiogenesis (the growth of new blood vessels) are also under investigation. Included in these studies are some that give these new drugs continuously, rather than intermittently, as is more commonly the case with chemotherapy, at lower than the maximally tolerated doses, to reduce side effects and prolong exposure to the medications. Exploration in the area of hormonal therapy will continue, looking at new selective estrogen-receptor mo
