Journal Article DKFZ-2026-02690

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Neuroendocrine Differentiation Mediates Escape from HER2-Targeted Therapy in Breast Cancer.

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2026
[Verlag nicht ermittelbar] Philadelphia, Pa.

Cancer discovery nn, nn () [10.1158/2159-8290.CD-26-1312]
 GO

Abstract: Neuroendocrine differentiation (NED) promotes lineage plasticity and therapy resistance in prostate and lung cancers. Here we identify NED as a route of treatment escape in breast cancer: neuroendocrine features emerged or increased in 22% of progressive cases, predominantly, but not exclusively, in HER2-positive subtype. Using patient-derived, epithelial/neuroendocrine organoid and xenograft models, we map the epigenetic and transcriptional divergence between epithelial and neuroendocrine states arising from a shared mutational background and define a breast cancer neuroendocrine signature. NED involves epigenetic silencing of EpCAM and amplified HER2, while NEUROD1 functions as a master transcriptional regulator of the neuroendocrine fate. NCAM-positive putative circulating tumor cells were detected in patients in whom EpCAM-based detection had failed. Neuroendocrine tumor cells exhibit an FGFR1 dependency associated with NCAM-FGFR1 interaction and mesenchymal FGFR1 splicing. Together, these findings establish NED as a mechanism of escape from HER2-targeted therapy in breast cancer, with implications for disease monitoring and intervention.

Classification:

Note: #EA:A010#LA:A010# / #NCTZFB26# / #DKTKZFB26# / epub

Contributing Institute(s):
  1. Stammzellen und Krebs (A010)
  2. DKTK HD zentral (HD01)
  3. Molekulare Genetik (B060)
  4. NWG-KKE Translationale Gastrointestinale Onkologie und präklinische Modelle (B440)
  5. Proteomik von Stammzellen und Krebs (B230)
  6. Signalwege funktionelle Genomik (B110)
  7. Epigenomik (B370)
  8. Koordinierungsstelle NCT Heidelberg (HD02)
Research Program(s):
  1. 311 - Zellbiologie und Tumorbiologie (POF4-311) (POF4-311)

Appears in the scientific report 2026
Database coverage:
Medline ; BIOSIS Previews ; Biological Abstracts ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Essential Science Indicators ; IF >= 25 ; JCR ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection
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 Record created 2026-10-29, last modified 2026-10-30



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