Molecular biology of breast cancer metastasis. Inflammatory breast cancer: clinical syndrome and molecular determinants

Breast Cancer Res. 2000;2(6):423-9. doi: 10.1186/bcr89. Epub 2000 Jul 11.

Abstract

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an aggressive form of locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) that effects approximately 5% of women with breast cancer annually in the USA. It is a clinically and pathologically distinct form of LABC that is particularly fast growing, invasive, and angiogenic. Nearly all women have lymph node involvement at the time of diagnosis, and approximately 36% have gross distant metastases. Despite recent advances in multimodality treatments, the prognosis of patients with IBC is poor, with a median disease-free survival of less than 2.5 years. Recent work on the genetic determinants that underlie the IBC phenotype has led to the identification of genes that are involved in the development and progression of this disease. This work has been aided by the establishment of primary human cell lines and animal models. These advances suggest novel targets for future interventions in the diagnosis and treatment of IBC.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics
  • Breast Neoplasms / mortality
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Breast Neoplasms / therapy
  • Carcinoma / genetics
  • Carcinoma / mortality
  • Carcinoma / pathology*
  • Carcinoma / therapy
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Cytokines / physiology
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Endothelial Growth Factors / physiology
  • Estrogens
  • Female
  • Genes, p53
  • Humans
  • Inflammation
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Lymphokines / physiology
  • Mice
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness / genetics
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Neoplasm Proteins / analysis
  • Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / genetics
  • Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / mortality
  • Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / pathology
  • Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / therapy
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / genetics
  • Oncogenes
  • Progesterone
  • Prognosis
  • Receptors, Estrogen / analysis
  • Receptors, Progesterone / analysis
  • Survival Analysis
  • Transplantation, Heterologous
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors

Substances

  • Cytokines
  • Endothelial Growth Factors
  • Estrogens
  • Lymphokines
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • Receptors, Estrogen
  • Receptors, Progesterone
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
  • Progesterone