Acquired HER2 mutations in ER+ metastatic breast cancer confer resistance to estrogen receptor-directed therapies.
Utthara NayarOfir CohenChristian KapstadMichael S CuocoAdrienne G WaksSeth A WanderCorrie PainterSamuel FreemanNicole S PerskyLori MariniKarla HelvieNelly OliverOrit Rozenblatt-RosenCynthia X MaAviv RegevEric P WinerNancy U LinNikhil WaglePublished in: Nature genetics (2018)
Seventy percent of breast cancers express the estrogen receptor (ER), and agents that target the ER are the mainstay of treatment. However, virtually all people with ER+ breast cancer develop resistance to ER-directed agents in the metastatic setting. Beyond mutations in the ER itself, which occur in 25-30% of people treated with aromatase inhibitors1-4, knowledge about clinical resistance mechanisms remains incomplete. We identified activating HER2 mutations in metastatic biopsies from eight patients with ER+ metastatic breast cancer who had developed resistance to aromatase inhibitors, tamoxifen or fulvestrant. Examination of treatment-naive primary tumors in five patients showed no evidence of pre-existing mutations in four of five patients, suggesting that these mutations were acquired under the selective pressure of ER-directed therapy. The HER2 mutations and ER mutations were mutually exclusive, suggesting a distinct mechanism of acquired resistance to ER-directed therapies. In vitro analysis confirmed that the HER2 mutations conferred estrogen independence as well as-in contrast to ER mutations-resistance to tamoxifen, fulvestrant and the CDK4 and CDK6 inhibitor palbociclib. Resistance was overcome by combining ER-directed therapy with the irreversible HER2 kinase inhibitor neratinib.
Keyphrases
- estrogen receptor
- metastatic breast cancer
- breast cancer cells
- endoplasmic reticulum
- end stage renal disease
- healthcare
- squamous cell carcinoma
- ejection fraction
- stem cells
- chronic kidney disease
- magnetic resonance
- cell proliferation
- prognostic factors
- bone marrow
- replacement therapy
- patient reported
- patient reported outcomes
- positive breast cancer
- contrast enhanced