metastatic

Treatment and management of breast cancer imposes a heavy burden on the public health care. However, in spite of the considerable advancements in the treatment of this malignancy in the recent years, many patients continue to progress to metastatic disease and, for those with advanced breast cancer, palliative care is oftentimes the endpoint. The manifestation of metastases is predictive of poor clinical outcome, and prevails one of the most challenging issues faced by cancer treatment today.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer affecting women. Despite the good prognosis when detected early, the treatment of the metastatic breast cancer is still a huge challenge. The recruitment of the proton pump V-ATPase to the plasma membrane, where it contributes to the acidity of the tumor microenvironment, is a recognized feature involved in the acquisition of a metastatic phenotype in breast cancer. Therefore, inhibitors of this pump have emerged as promising anticancer drugs.