Advances of MUC1 as a target for breast cancer immunotherapy

E. Yang, X.F. Hu and P.X. Xing

Cancer Immunotherapy Laboratory, Burnet Institute incorporating Austin Research Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.

Offprint requests to: Pei Xiang Xing, Professor Laboratory Head, Cancer Immunotherapy Laboratory, Burnet Institute incorporating Austin Research Institute, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3081, Australia. email: px.xing@burnet.edu.au


Summary. MUC1 is a potential target in breast cancer immunotherapy as MUC1 is overexpressed in breast cancer, and is absent or expressed in low level in normal mammary gland. In addition, MUC1 is mostly aberrantly underglycosylated in cancer and the antigens on the cancer surface are different from normal cell. Therefore targeting MUC1 for cancer immunotherapy can exploit the difference between cancer and normal cells, and eliminating the cancerous cells while leaving the normal mammary cells unharmed. This review will focus on the recent advance of MUC1 breast cancer immunotherapy currently being investigated. Histol Histopathol 22, 905-922 (2007)

Key words: Mucin, MUC1, Breast cancer, Immunotherapy, Signaling transduction

DOI: 10.14670/HH-22.905