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mTOR inhibitors in breast cancer

    Ingrid A Mayer

    Ingrid A Mayer is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Hematology/Oncology Division and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Member (TN, USA), whose subspecialty is breast cancer. She is the Clinical Core Director of the NCI-funded Vanderbilt Breast Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE), where her role is to implement and conduct investigator-initiated, mechanism-based clinical and translational trials in breast cancer, focusing in novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Her research interests and funding are in the area of correlated PI3K/Akt, ErbB and IGF-1 signaling pathways in breast cancer.

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    Published Online:8 Dec 2011https://doi.org/10.2217/ebo.11.261
    Abstract:

    The purpose of this chapter is to review the role of mTOR inhibition in breast cancer. Because evidence suggests that both hormone receptor-positive tumors and HER2-overexpressing tumors use the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway to escape control by antihormone and anti-HER2 therapies, combination therapy with mTOR inhibitors is a rational approach to determine whether resistance to these agents can be prevented and sensitivity can be restored by the addition of mTOR inhibition.

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