Iron Deprivation Treatment of Breast Cancer: Preclinical Studies.

摘要

Further progress has been made at the pre-clinical level in the study of iron deprivation as a potential treatment modality for breast cancer. The MDA-MB-231 cell line appears to be resistant to combined treatment with HES-DFO and monoclonal antibodies against the transferrin receptor; studies with the SK- BR-3 cell line are now under way. Preliminary data suggest that 231 cells may cease dividing but not undergo apoptosis when acutely deprived of iron; this is in contrast to the findings with the 38C13 lymphoma. The possibility thus arises that distinct gene activation pathways may occur in response to iron deprivation. New data indicate that combined treatment may produce supra- additive increases in serum IL-6 levels and thus offer further support for the hypothesis that enhanced macrophage activation and an augmented acute phase response play a role in the toxicity of iron deprivation. New data also indicate that monoclonal antibodies against the transferrin receptor inhibit lymphocyte activation in vivo.