In the present study, we have systematically examined the clinical significance of Nectin-4 (encoded by the PVRL-4 gene), a marker for breast cancer stem cells (CSCs), in cancer metastasis and angiogenesis using a variety of human specimens, including invasive duct carcinoma (IDC) with multiple grades, several types of primary tumors to local and distant relapses, lymph node metastases and circulating tumor cells (CTCs).
Nectin-4 is overexpressed in several types of human cancer; however, the functional and prognostic significance of Nectin-4 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear.
Given that PVRL4 is a well-known tumor-associated marker for several adenocarcinoma (lung, breast and ovary), the measles virus could potentially be used to specifically target, infect and destroy cancers expressing PVRL4.
Furthermore, growth of orthotopically implanted tumors in vivo is inhibited by blocking PVRL4-driven cell-to-cell attachment with monoclonal antibodies, demonstrating a novel strategy for targeted therapy of cancer.