Multidrug-resistant breast cancer: current perspectives

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, and resistance to the current therapeutics, often concurrently, is an increasing clinical challenge. By understanding the molecular mechanisms behind multidrug-resistant breast cancer, new treatments may be developed. Here we review the rec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Breast cancer targets and therapy 2014-01, Vol.6 (default), p.1-13
Main Authors: Martin, Heather L, Smith, Laura, Tomlinson, Darren C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Breast cancer
Cancer therapies
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
DNA methylation
Drug resistance
Drug resistance in microorganisms
Drug therapy
Endocrine therapy
Epidermal growth factor
Epigenetic inheritance
Epigenetics
Estrogens
Gene expression
Genetic aspects
HER2
Kinases
Ligands
Medical prognosis
miRNA
Monoclonal antibodies
Mortality
Multidrug resistant organisms
Physiological aspects
PI3K/Akt
Review
Targeted cancer therapy
triple negative
Womens health
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Summary:Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, and resistance to the current therapeutics, often concurrently, is an increasing clinical challenge. By understanding the molecular mechanisms behind multidrug-resistant breast cancer, new treatments may be developed. Here we review the recent advances in this understanding, emphasizing the common mechanisms underlying resistance to both targeted therapies, notably tamoxifen and trastuzumab, and traditional chemotherapies. We focus primarily on three molecular mechanisms, the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway, the role of microRNAs in gene silencing, and epigenetic alterations affecting gene expression, and discuss how these mechanisms can interact in multidrug resistance. The development of therapeutics targeting these mechanisms is also addressed.
ISSN:1179-1314
1179-1314
DOI:10.2147/BCTT.S37638