Michael DiGiovanna, MD, PhD
Research & Publications
Biography
News
Research Summary
We study signal transduction by growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases, focusing on the EGFR/HER2/ErbB family, including the impact of signaling by these receptors on clinical outcomes and response to targeted therapies for cancer, and their potential as therapeutic targets in novel combination therapies. A major focus in our laboratory has been the interaction of HER2 signaling with estrogen receptor (ER) signaling in breast cancer, and with IGF-I receptor signaling, and the effects of inhibitors of these receptors in combination targeted therapies. We have also found that in breast cancer patients, tumors harboring activated HER2 have adverse prognosis, and these tumors have co-overexpression of EGFR. We continue to study how signaling by these receptors impacts responses to different types of therapies and explore targeting these receptors in combination with other novel targeted therapeutics.
Specialized Terms: Breast cancer; HER-2/neu/ErbB-2; IGF1 receptor; EGF receptor; Growth factor receptor tyrosine protein kinases in malignancy; Estrogen receptor; Signal transduction; Breast cancer clinical trials
Extensive Research Description
We study signal transduction by growth factor receptor tyrosine
kinases, focusing on the EGFR/HER2/ErbB family, including the impact of
signaling by these receptors on clinical outcomes and response to
targeted therapies for cancer, and their potential as therapeutic
targets in novel combination therapies. A major focus in our laboratory
has been the interaction of HER2 signaling with estrogen receptor (ER)
signaling in breast cancer, and with IGF-I receptor
signaling, and the effects of inhibitors of these receptors in
combination targeted therapies. We have also found that in breast
cancer patients, tumors harboring activated HER2 have adverse
prognosis, and these tumors have co-overexpression of EGFR. We continue
to study how signaling by these receptors impacts responses to
different types of therapies and explore targeting these receptors in
combination with other novel targeted therapeutics.
Coauthors
Research Interests
Breast Neoplasms; Medical Oncology; Pharmacology; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; Signal Transduction; Clinical Trial
Selected Publications
- Cost-Effectiveness of Neoadjuvant-Adjuvant Treatment Strategies for Women With ERBB2 (HER2)-Positive Breast Cancer.Kunst N, Wang SY, Hood A, Mougalian SS, DiGiovanna MP, Adelson K, Pusztai L. Cost-Effectiveness of Neoadjuvant-Adjuvant Treatment Strategies for Women With ERBB2 (HER2)-Positive Breast Cancer. JAMA Network Open 2020, 3:e2027074.
- Adjuvant T-DM1 versus trastuzumab in patients with residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer: subgroup analyses from KATHERINE.Mamounas EP, Untch M, Mano MS, Huang CS, Geyer CE, von Minckwitz G, Wolmark N, Pivot X, Kuemmel S, DiGiovanna MP, Kaufman B, Kunz G, Conlin AK, Alcedo JC, Kuehn T, Wapnir I, Fontana A, Hackmann J, Polikoff J, Saghatchian M, Brufsky A, Yang Y, Zimovjanova M, Boulet T, Liu H, Tesarowski D, Lam LH, Song C, Smitt M, Loibl S. Adjuvant T-DM1 versus trastuzumab in patients with residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer: subgroup analyses from KATHERINE. Annals Of Oncology : Official Journal Of The European Society For Medical Oncology / ESMO 2021, 32:1005-1014.