Drug Targets for Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a complex heterogeneous disease characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. It is also very prevalent, with reports from the World Health Organization estimating that more than 1.2 million people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, worldwide. In the United States, breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women (following skin cancer) with 212,930 new cases estimated for 2004 and an associated 40,840 deaths. In Europe, approximately 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year (41,000 in the UK). Consequently, breast cancer is a high-priority research area and is recognized as one of the most aggressively pursued diseases in the history of medicine.