Dittmer J. Nuclear Mechanisms Involved in Endocrine Resistance.
Front Oncol 2021;
11:736597. [PMID:
34604071 PMCID:
PMC8480308 DOI:
10.3389/fonc.2021.736597]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Endocrine therapy is a standard treatment offered to patients with ERα (estrogen receptor α)-positive breast cancer. In endocrine therapy, ERα is either directly targeted by anti-estrogens or indirectly by aromatase inhibitors which cause estrogen deficiency. Resistance to these drugs (endocrine resistance) compromises the efficiency of this treatment and requires additional measures. Endocrine resistance is often caused by deregulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and/or cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 activities allowing inhibitors of these factors to be used clinically to counteract endocrine resistance. The nuclear mechanisms involved in endocrine resistance are beginning to emerge. Exploring these mechanisms may reveal additional druggable targets, which could help to further improve patients' outcome in an endocrine resistance setting. This review intends to summarize our current knowledge on the nuclear mechanisms linked to endocrine resistance.
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