Breast cancers can be divided into different subtypes based on several criteria, including whether or not they express the protein to which the female hormone estrogen binds; that is, the estrogen receptor (ER). Patients with ER-negative breast tumors have a worse outlook than those with ER-positive breast tumors. However, even among ER-negative breast tumors, those characterized as basal-like are the most aggressive and difficult to treat. New therapeutic targets for this subtype of breast cancer are urgently needed. Now, a team of researchers, led by Stefan Ambs, at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, report data that suggest that the protein NOS2 could be a good drug target in this context. The data, generated by analysis of human breast cancer samples and cell lines, lead the authors to conclude that high levels of NOS2 are a predictor of survival in patients with ER-negative breast tumors and to suggest that selective NOS2 inhibitors might be of benefit to these individuals.
TITLE: Increased NOS2 predicts poor survival in estrogen receptor–negative breast cancer patients
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Stefan Ambs
National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Phone: 301.496.4668; Fax: 301.480.4676; E-mail: ambss@mail.nih.gov .
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/42059?key=e19810fc296c1ecf1474
Journal of Clinical Investigation