“New” Estrogen Receptor Found to be Key Player in Tamoxifen Resistance
November 18, 2008
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center, led by Rebecca Riggins, a research assistant professor of oncology, have discovered a novel way in which breast cancer cells become resistant to tamoxifen, the world’s largest-selling breast cancer prevention and treatment drug. They say the findings could provide a way to identify tamoxifen users who are no longer benefiting from the drug, allowing doctors to try another therapy option sooner.
In the November 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research, the researchers show that breast cancer cells that are resistant to tamoxifen display few of the “alpha” estrogen receptors that the drug is designed to bind on to and inhibit, but many more “gamma” estrogen-related receptors, which tamoxifen seems to activate. These two receptors are not closely related – they are more like distant cousins than siblings, researchers say, adding that understanding how these gamma estrogen-related receptors work may— eventually— help in designing new, more effective drugs targeting these receptors.
For more information on this research, click here.
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