(596af) Role of Transferrin Receptor in Breast Cancers

To design effective treatments for breast cancer, it is important to elucidate the key molecular events and/or pathways that determine the progression of breast cancer and its response or resistance to molecular therapies. ~70% of breast cancers express estrogen receptor (ER), and ER-directed therapy has become mainstay treatment for breast cancers. Unfortunately, a substantial proportion of patients despite being ER and/or PR (progesterone receptor) positive, are either primarily resistant to hormone therapies or develop endocrine resistant breast cancers (ERBC). Additionally, ~15% of breast cancers do not express ER, PR or HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) and are termed triple negative breast cancers (TNBC). It is well-established that transferrin receptor (TfR) is overexpressed in breast cancer. We will discuss our efforts to correlate the expression and distribution of TfR in breast cancers to their progression and resistance to therapies. This information will guide the future design of combination therapies to overcome the limitations of current therapies.