Table 2General mechanisms of resistance to systemic therapy

Cellular and Biochemical Mechanisms
Decreased drug accumulation
Decreased drug influx
Increased drug efflux
Altered intracellular drug trafficking
Increased inactivation of drug or toxic intermediate
Increased repair of or tolerance to drug-induced damage to
DNA
Protein
Membranes
Decreased drug activation
Altered drug targets (quantitatively or qualitatively)
Altered co-factor or metabolite levels
Altered downstream effectors of cytotoxicity
Altered signaling pathway and/or apoptotic responses to drug insult
Altered gene expression
DNA mutation, amplification, or deletion
Altered transcription, posttranscription processing, or translation
Altered stability of macromolecules
In Vivo Mechanisms
Pharmacological and anatomic drug barriers (tumor sanctuaries)
Host-drug interactions
Increased drug inactivation by normal tissues
Decreased drug activation by normal tissues
Relatively increased normal tissue drug sensitivity (toxicity)

From: Overview of Resistance to Systemic Therapy in Patients with Breast Cancer

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