HIF inhibition could prevent chemo-induced TNBC tumor recurrence

A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests combining hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) inhibitors with chemotherapy could help prevent recurrence of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In the paper, researchers from Johns Hopkins University showed that chemotherapy can induce expression of several oncogenes that drive metastasis and recurrence in the tumors, and that combining the chemotherapy with a HIF inhibitor prevented the increased expression.

Because TNBC has fewer targeted therapy options, chemotherapy is often the primary treatment. However, many TNBC tumors recur after chemotherapy, suggesting a loss of antitumor immunity...