title: Molecular aspects of breast cancer resistance to drugs (Review).
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica 1001236, Chile.
authors.forename: Gloria M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Calaf
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
authors.forename: Andrea B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Zepeda
authors.affiliation: Pathophysiology Program, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile.
authors.forename: Rodrigo L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
authors.forename: Carolina A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Figueroa
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
authors.forename: Consuelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
authors.forename: Elías
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Figueroa
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
authors.forename: Jorge G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Farías
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D019313:BRCA1 Protein / Q000235:genetics*; D024682:BRCA2 Protein / Q000235:genetics*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D019313:BRCA1 Protein; D024682:BRCA2 Protein; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C492913:BRCA1 protein, human; C551750:BRCA2 protein, human; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human