[Study of resistance to chemotherapy mediated by ABC transporters in biopsies of glioblastoma multiforme].

Background: Mortality rate is dramatically high in high grade brain tumors. The presence of multiple drug resistance transporters in glioblastoma multiforme, has contributed largely to the poor efficacy of targeted therapy against cancer in the central nervous system.

Aim: To analyze the percentage of survival and mortality of patients with glioblastoma multiforme in a cohort of patients in Chile and to co-rrelate the chemo-resistance of these cells with the expression level of multiple drug resistance transporters.

Combined use of anticancer drugs and an inhibitor of multiple drug resistance-associated protein-1 increases sensitivity and decreases survival of glioblastoma multiforme cells in vitro.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a brain tumour characterised by a remarkably high chemoresistance and infiltrating capability. To date, chemotherapy with temozolomide has contributed only poorly to improved survival rates in patients. One of the most important mechanisms of chemoresistance comes about through the activity of certain proteins from the ATP-binding cassette superfamily that extrudes antitumour drugs, or their metabolites, from cells.