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Molecular aspects of breast cancer resistance to drugs (Review)

2015; Spandidos Publishing; Volume: 47; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3892/ijo.2015.3055

1019-6439

Gloria M. Calaf, Andrea Zepeda, Rodrigo L. Castillo, Carolina A. Figueroa, Consuelo Arias, Elías Figueroa, Jorge G. Farías,

Cancer Cells and Metastasis

Despite continuous advances in the knowledge of breast cancer pathophysiology, this type of neoplasia remains a leading cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide. Carcinogenesis takes a progressive course from somatic mutations, alteration of the DNA repair mechanisms, inhibition of growth suppressors, followed by cell proliferation, tissue invasion and risk of metastasis. Less than 10% of all cancers are hereditary, and in the case of breast cancer only 8%, a phenomenon linked to genetic changes in BRCA1 or BRCA2. All the other cancers can be caused by an infection (15%) or in most cases (75%) the etiology is unknown. Patients with genetic mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 have 30-60% likelihood of developing a second primary breast cancer and between 11 and 45% risk of ovarian cancer, HER-2/neu is overexpressed in ~30% of human breast tumors and it has a predictive role in chemotherapy and endocrine therapy.