Endocrine resistance in breast cancer: Current status and a perspective on the roles of miRNAs (Review)

Zhou,Jichun; Teng,Rongyue; Wang,Qinchuan; Xu,Chenpu; Guo,Jufeng; Yuan,Chao; Shen,Jianguo; Hu,Wenxian; Wang,Linbo; Xie,Shuduo

doi:10.3892/ol.2013.1405

Endocrine resistance in breast cancer: Current status and a perspective on the roles of miRNAs (Review)

Authors:
- Jichun Zhou
- Rongyue Teng
- Qinchuan Wang
- Chenpu Xu
- Jufeng Guo
- Chao Yuan
- Jianguo Shen
- Wenxian Hu
- Linbo Wang
- Shuduo Xie
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Affiliations: Department of Surgical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310016, P.R. China
Published online on: June 17, 2013 https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2013.1405
Pages: 295-305

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Abstract

Current endocrine therapies for females with estrogen receptor‑positive breast cancer have facilitated substantial improvements in outcomes. The effectiveness of endocrine therapy is limited by either initial de novo resistance or acquired endocrine resistance. Multiple mechanisms responsible for endocrine resistance have been proposed, including deregulation of various components of the estrogen receptor (ER) pathway, alterations in cell cycle and cell survival signaling molecules, and the activation of escape pathways. Dysregulation of miRNA expression has been associated with experimental and clinical endocrine therapy resistance. miRNAs are pivotal to understanding the complex biological mechanism of endocrine resistance, and may serve as novel candidate predictive and prognostic surrogates and therapeutic targets. This review focuses on current progress concerning the roles of miRNAs in endocrine resistance, and discusses the challenges and opportunities for implementing miRNA‑based assays and treatment for patients with endocrine‑resistant breast cancer.

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