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Peyvandi et al. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2019;5:44 Journal of Cancer
DOI: 10.20517/2394-4722.2019.16 Metastasis and Treatment

Review Open Access

Chemotherapy-induced immunological breast cancer
dormancy: a new function for old drugs?

Sanam Peyvandi , Qiang Lan , Girieca Lorusso , Curzio Rüegg 1
1,#
2,#
1
1 Department of Oncology, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg
1700, Switzerland.
2 Developmental Biology Program, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland.
# These authors contributed equally to the manuscript.

Correspondence to: Dr. Curzio Rüegg, Department of Oncology, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Science and Medicine,
University of Fribourg, PER17, Chemin du Musée 18, Fribourg 1700, Switzerland. E-mail: curzio.ruegg@unifr.ch

How to cite this article: Peyvandi S, Lan Q, Lorusso G, Rüegg C. Chemotherapy-induced immunological breast cancer dormancy:
a new function for old drugs? J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2019;5:44. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2019.16

Received: 21 Feb 2019 First Decision: 28 Mar 2019 Revised: 19 Apr 2019 Accepted: 23 Apr 2019 Published: 23 May 2019
Science Editor: William Schiemann Copy Editor: Cai-Hong Wang Production Editor: Huan-Liang Wu

Abstract
Breast cancer remains the main cause of cancer-related mortality for women world-wide. Main cause of death
is the development of therapy-resistant metastases. Relapses occur with a bimodal temporal distribution, with a
first peak at 1-2 years after initial therapy and a second peak 2-3 years later. This discontinuous growth kinetics is
consistent with the notion that disseminated cancer cells can remain dormant over a prolonged period of time before
resuming growth. How cancer cells enter, sustain and exit dormancy, are unanswered questions with relevance to
cancer biology, monitoring and therapy. Investigating mechanisms of breast cancer dormancy remains challenging,
as in patients the condition is elusive and experimentally there are only a few models that recapitulate the clinical
condition. Thus, developing new models to identify clinically relevant mechanisms and candidate therapeutic targets
may open new avenues for novel therapies to induce and prolong dormancy. We have observed that cells surviving
chemotherapy can enter a state of immunological dormancy. Using this model, we identified IRF-7/Interferon type
I/IFNRA as signaling axis essential for this effect. Here we will review concepts and recent developments in cancer
metastasis and dormancy with emphasis on breast cancer, and elaborate strategies to exploit them therapeutically.

Keywords: Breast cancer, chemotherapy, resistance, dormancy, T lymphocytes, interferon

INTRODUCTION
With a few exceptions, as in the case of brain or liver cancer, the main cause of cancer-related death is not
the primary tumor itself but rather the formation of secondary tumors, so called metastases, in vital organs,
© The Author(s) 2019. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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