Tyrosine receptor kinase B is a drug target in astrocytomas

摘要

Background. Astrocytomas are the most common primary human brain tumors. Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), including tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB, also known as tropomyosin-related kinase B; encoded by neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor type 2 [NTRK2]), are frequently mutated by rearrangement/fusion in high-grade and lowgrade astrocytomas. We found that activated TrkB can contribute to the development of astrocytoma and might serve as a therapeutic target in this tumor type.