Dariusz Rakus, James A. McCubrey, Stephen L. Abrams, Zoya Demidenko, Agustino Tafuri, Michelle Milella, Melchiorre Cervello, Giuseppe Montalto, Danijela Maksimovic-Ivanic, Sanja Mijatovic, Joerg Basecke, Joanna Dulinska-Litewka, Piotr Laidler, Agnieszka Gizak, Linda S. Steelman, Lyudmyla Drobot, Concettina Fenga, Aurora Scalisi, Ferdinando Nicoletti, Saverio Candido, Massimo Libra, Sandra Marmiroli, Luca M. Neri, Alberto M. Martelli, Matilde Y. Follo, Lucio Cocco, Kvin Lertpiriyapong and Timothy Fitzgerald Pages 2358 - 2388 ( 31 )
The roles of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway in various cancers including breast, bladder, brain, colorectal, esophageal, gastric, head and neck, hepatocellular, lung, neuroblastoma, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, renal and other cancers have been keenly investigated since the 1980’s. While the receptors and many downstream signaling molecules have been identified and characterized, there is still much to learn about this pathway and how its deregulation can lead to cancer and how it may be differentially regulated in various cell types. Multiple inhibitors to EGFR family members have been developed and many are in clinical use. Current research often focuses on their roles and other associated pathways in cancer stem cells (CSCs), identifying sites where therapeutic resistance may develop and the mechanisms by which microRNAs (miRs) and other RNAs regulate this pathway. This review will focus on recent advances in these fields with a specific focus on breast cancer and breast CSCs. Relatively novel areas of investigation, such as treatments for other diseases (e.g., diabetes, metabolism, and intestinal parasites), have provided new information about therapeutic resistance and CSCs.
EGFR, HER2, mIRs, Cancer Stem Cells, Drug Resistance, Metastasis.
, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Brody Building 5N98C, Greenville, NC 27858 USA.