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Review
. 2020 Aug 21;3(4):676-685.
doi: 10.20517/cdr.2020.37. eCollection 2020.

Molecular mechanisms of docetaxel resistance in prostate cancer

Yohei Sekino  1 , Jun Teishima  1
Affiliations
Review

Molecular mechanisms of docetaxel resistance in prostate cancer

Yohei Sekino et al. Cancer Drug Resist. .

Abstract

Docetaxel (DTX) chemotherapy offers excellent initial response and confers significant survival benefit in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, the clinical utility of DTX is compromised when primary and acquired resistance are encountered. Therefore, a more thorough understanding of DTX resistance mechanisms may potentially improve survival in patients with CRPC. This review focuses on DTX and discusses its mechanisms of resistance. We outline the involvement of tubulin alterations, androgen receptor (AR) signaling/AR variants, ERG rearrangements, drug efflux/influx, cancer stem cells, centrosome clustering, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT signaling in mediating DTX resistance. Furthermore, potential biomarkers for DTX treatment and therapeutic strategies to circumvent DTX resistance are reviewed.

Keywords: Prostate cancer; biomarker; docetaxel; drug resistant cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declared that there are no conflicts of interest.

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