Trastuzumab Mechanism of Action; 20 Years of Research to Unravel a Dilemma

Hamid Maadi; Mohammad Hasan Soheilifar; Won-Shik Choi; Abdolvahab Moshtaghian; Zhixiang Wang

doi:10.3390/cancers13143540

Trastuzumab Mechanism of Action; 20 Years of Research to Unravel a Dilemma

Cancers (Basel). 2021 Jul 15;13(14):3540. doi: 10.3390/cancers13143540.

Authors

Hamid Maadi¹, Mohammad Hasan Soheilifar², Won-Shik Choi¹, Abdolvahab Moshtaghian^{3

4}, Zhixiang Wang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada.
² Department of Medical Laser, Medical Laser Research Center, Yara Institute, ACECR, Tehran 1315795613, Iran.
³ Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar 4741695447, Iran.
⁴ Deputy of Research and Technology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan 3514799442, Iran.
⁵ Department of Medical Genetics and Signal, Transduction Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada.

Abstract

Trastuzumab as a first HER2-targeted therapy for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer patients was introduced in 1998. Although trastuzumab has opened a new avenue to treat patients with HER2-positive breast cancer and other types of cancer, some patients are not responsive or become resistant to this treatment. So far, several mechanisms have been suggested for the mode of action of trastuzumab; however, the findings regarding these mechanisms are controversial. In this review, we aimed to provide a detailed insight into the various mechanisms of action of trastuzumab.

Keywords: HER2; MAPK pathway; PI3K/AKT pathway; breast cancer; trastuzumab.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

RES0030993/CAPMC/ CIHR/Canada