Research Progress on Molecular Subtyping and Modern Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer (Dove Med Press). 2023 Aug 24:15:647-658. doi: 10.2147/BCTT.S426121. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Breast cancer has become the most common malignant tumor worldwide. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a type of breast cancer that is negative for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Compared with other molecular subtypes of breast cancer, TNBC is the most aggressive and highly heterogeneous. TNBC is insensitive to endocrine and anti-HER2 therapy, and chemotherapy is currently the main systemic treatment. With the continuous development of detection techniques and deepening research on TNBC molecular subtypes, drugs targeting immune checkpoints and different targets have emerged, such as atezolizumab, pembrolizumab, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP-2), and antibody-drug conjugates. These therapies provide new hope for TNBC treatment. Based on the analysis and classification of TNBC, this article summarizes the immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and new treatment combinations, providing references for the precise treatment of TNBC in the future.

Keywords: immunotherapy; precision therapy; targeted therapy; triple-negative breast cancer.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Top Talent Support Program for Young and Middle-aged people of Wuxi Health Committee (BJ2020047), Norman Bethune Medical Science Research Fund (71505970).