Review
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World J Pharmacol. Dec 9, 2014; 3(4): 72-85
Published online Dec 9, 2014. doi: 10.5497/wjp.v3.i4.72
Targeted approaches for HER2 breast cancer therapy: News from nanomedicine?
Serena Mazzucchelli, Marta Truffi, Luisa Fiandra, Luca Sorrentino, Fabio Corsi
Serena Mazzucchelli, Luisa Fiandra, “L. Sacco” University Hospital, 20157 Milan, Italy
Marta Truffi, Fabio Corsi, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “L. Sacco”, University of Milan, 20157 Milan, Italy
Luca Sorrentino, Fabio Corsi, Surgery Division, “Luigi Sacco” Hospital, 20157 Milan, Italy
Author contributions: All authors contributed to this paper.
Correspondence to: Fabio Corsi, MD, Professor, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “L. Sacco”, University of Milan, via G. B. Grassi, 74, 20157 Milan, Italy. fabio.corsi@unimi.it
Telephone: +39-2-39043449 Fax: +39-2-50319846
Received: July 28, 2014
Revised: August 29, 2014
Accepted: September 23, 2014
Published online: December 9, 2014
Processing time: 137 Days and 6.7 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: About 30% of human breast cancers are characterized by the overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) receptor, which determines the deregulation of cell survival and proliferation pathways. The HER2-targeted therapy is the most effective treatment, despite some related limitations, which could be bypassed with the development of nanoparticles for HER2-targeted drug delivery, photothermal ablation or photodynamic therapy. Here, we describe HER2+ breast cancer features and anti-HER2 therapy, and focus on the contribution of nanomedicine in this context, by reporting HER2-targeted nanoparticles under preclinical investigations. Promising results suggest upcoming clinical application of these nano-compounds in the next future.