Epigenetic Therapy for Breast Cancer

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Feng-Feng Cai¹  Corina Kohler¹  Bei Zhang¹  Ming-Hong Wang²  Wei-Jie Chen¹ 

[1] Laboratory for Gynecological Oncology, Department of Biomedicine, Women’s Hospital, University of Basel, Hebelstrasse 20, Room 420, Basel, CH 4031, Switzerland; E-Mails:;Department of General Practice Medicine, Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China; E-Mail:

关键词: breast cancer;    epigenetic therapy;    DNA methylation inhibitors;    Histone deacetylation inhibitors;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms12074465

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Both genetic and epigenetic alterations can control the progression of cancer. Genetic alterations are impossible to reverse, while epigenetic alterations are reversible. This advantage suggests that epigenetic modifications should be preferred in therapy applications. DNA methyltransferases and histone deacetylases have become the primary targets for studies in epigenetic therapy. Some DNA methylation inhibitors and histone deacetylation inhibitors are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as anti-cancer drugs. Therefore, the uses of epigenetic targets are believed to have great potential as a lasting favorable approach in treating breast cancer.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.