Taxane resistance in metastatic breast cancer and novel microtubule-targeting agents

The development of primary or acquired taxane resistance inevitably becomes to be the main problem. Ixabepilone is effective in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients including those heavily pretreated or resistant to taxanes. Eribulin has been used for the treatment of MBC patients who have received at least two prior chemotherapy regimens. New microtubule-targeting agents are promising to be effective options for patients progressing after standard taxane-containing chemotherapy. Key words: Breast neoplasms; Taxoids; Drug resistance; Microtubules