Trastuzumab therapy vs tetracycline controlled ERBB2 downregulation: influence on tumour development in an ERBB2-dependent mouse tumour model
2008

Comparing Trastuzumab and ERBB2 Downregulation in Breast Cancer Treatment

Sample size: 5 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Hermes M, Schormann W, Brulport M, Uhlemann K, Lupatsch F, Horn L C, Schumann A, Allgaier C, Weishaupt M, Engeland K, Müller G A, Mössner J, Bauer A, Schiffer I B, Gebhard S, Schmidt M, Lausch E, Prawitt D, Wilhelm C, Hengstler J G

Primary Institution: Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, University of Dortmund

Hypothesis

Can ERBB2 downregulation provide better tumor remission compared to trastuzumab therapy in ERBB2-dependent tumors?

Conclusion

ERBB2 downregulation leads to complete tumor remission, while trastuzumab shows only a weak effect despite ERBB2 dependence.

Supporting Evidence

  • ERBB2 downregulation led to a macroscopically complete tumor remission within 14 days.
  • Trastuzumab caused only a slight decrease in tumor proliferation.
  • Trastuzumab increased phosphorylated AKT levels significantly.
  • Downregulation of ERBB2 resulted in a strong decrease in Ki-67 positive nuclei.

Takeaway

In a study with mice, stopping the production of a cancer-related protein called ERBB2 made tumors go away quickly, but a medicine called trastuzumab didn't work as well even though it was supposed to help.

Methodology

Mice with ERBB2-dependent tumors were treated with either anhydrotetracycline (ATc) or trastuzumab, and tumor growth was measured.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to the use of a single mouse model and lack of human data.

Limitations

The study was conducted in a mouse model, which may not fully represent human responses.

Participant Demographics

Male nude mice aged 3-4 weeks.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1038/sj.bjc.6604318

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