Noninfectious pneumonitis with the use of mTOR inhibitors in breast cancer

Cancer Treat Rev. 2014 Mar;40(2):320-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2013.08.004. Epub 2013 Aug 14.

Abstract

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor class of drugs represents the newest addition to the armamentarium of therapies for hormonally driven breast cancer. It has recently been shown that the addition of mTOR inhibitor everolimus to aromatase inhibitors in hormone receptor-positive breast cancers improves progression-free survival. However, a clinically significant toxicity associated with this class of drugs is the development of noninfectious pneumonitis (NIP). Although generally mild and manageable, everolimus-induced NIP requires prompt diagnosis and management. This article will provide a brief overview of data relating to dysregulation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B/mTOR pathway in breast cancer; review the literature relating to the efficacy and safety of mTOR inhibitors in breast cancer; and evaluate the incidence, severity, and optimal management of mTOR inhibitor-related NIP in breast cancer.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Cough; Dyspnea; Everolimus; Noninfectious pneumonitis; mTOR inhibitors.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / adverse effects*
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Cough / chemically induced
  • Dyspnea / chemically induced
  • Elafin / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Everolimus
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Pneumonia / chemically induced*
  • Pneumonia / diagnosis
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Sirolimus / administration & dosage
  • Sirolimus / adverse effects
  • Sirolimus / analogs & derivatives*
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors*

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Elafin
  • PI3 protein, human
  • Everolimus
  • MTOR protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Sirolimus