Metaplastic breast cancer: an old histotype but a current therapeutic problem

Metaplastic breast cancer (MPBC) is a rare and aggressive tumor type in great need of satisfactory therapies. Although most cases of MPBC are ‘triple negative’, they are nonetheless related to worse outcomes compared with other triple-negative invasive tumors. MPBC presents high levels of genetic an...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Future oncology (London, England) England), 2021-03, Vol.17 (8), p.955-963
Main Authors: Gadaleta-Caldarola, Gennaro, Nenna, Rosanna, Lanotte, Laura, Doronzo, Antonio, Gadaleta-Caldarola, Arianna, Roma, Ileana de, Lombardi, Lucia, Infusino, Stefania
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
immunotherapy
metaplastic breast cancer
targeted therapy
triple-negative breast cancer
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Metaplastic breast cancer (MPBC) is a rare and aggressive tumor type in great need of satisfactory therapies. Although most cases of MPBC are ‘triple negative’, they are nonetheless related to worse outcomes compared with other triple-negative invasive tumors. MPBC presents high levels of genetic and molecular heterogeneity, suggesting that novel targeted therapies can be exploited. Overexpression of PD-L1 and high levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes have also been observed in these tumors, suggesting a role for immunotherapy. We present an updated literature revision on clinical, histopathological and molecular features of MPBC and their significance to prognosis and therapy options. We discuss emerging efforts to improve and personalize prognostic and therapeutic approaches, exploiting the molecular signature of MPBC with targeted therapies and immunotherapies.
ISSN:1479-6694
1744-8301
DOI:10.2217/fon-2020-0490