Background

The epidermal growth factor receptor family consists of four members, ErbB1 (epidermal growth factor receptor-1), ErbB2, ErbB3, and ErbB4, which all have been found to play important roles in tumor development. ErbB4 appears to be unique among these receptors, because it is the only member with growth inhibiting properties. ErbB4 plays well-defined roles in normal tissue development, in particular the heart, the nervous system, and the mammary gland system. In recent years, information on the role of ErbB4 in a number of tumors has emerged and its general direction points towards a tumor suppressor role for ErbB4. However, there are some controversies and conflicting data, warranting a review on this topic.

Conclusions

Here, we discuss the role of ErbB4 in normal physiology and in breast, lung, colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, prostate, bladder, and brain cancers, as well as in hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, and melanoma. Understanding the role of ErbB4 in cancer is not only important for the treatment of tumors, but also for the treatment of other disorders in which ErbB4 plays a major role, e.g. cardiovascular disease.

中文翻译：

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ErbB4在癌症中的作用。

背景

表皮生长因子受体家族由四个成员组成，ErbB1（表皮生长因子受体-1），ErbB2，ErbB3和ErbB4，它们均在肿瘤发展中起着重要作用。ErbB4在这些受体中似乎是唯一的，因为它是唯一具有生长抑制特性的成员。ErbB4在正常组织发育，特别是心脏，神经系统和乳腺系统中起明确作用。近年来，关于ErbB4在许多肿瘤中的作用的信息已经出现，其总体方向指向了ErbB4的抑癌作用。但是，存在一些争议和相互矛盾的数据，因此有必要对此主题进行审查。

结论

在这里，我们讨论ErbB4在正常生理以及乳腺癌，肺癌，结肠直肠癌，胃癌，胰腺癌，前列腺癌，膀胱癌和脑癌以及肝细胞癌，胆管癌和黑素瘤中的作用。了解ErbB4在癌症中的作用不仅对于肿瘤治疗很重要，而且对于治疗ErbB4起主要作用的其他疾病（例如心血管疾病）也很重要。