# Advances in Breast Cancer Research: Immunological, Pathological, and Pharmacological Perspectives for Improving Patient Outcomes

**Authors:** Susanne Crocamo, Everton Cruz dos Santos, Eliana Abdelhay

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/ijms27041902 · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2026-02-16

## TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in breast cancer research, focusing on immune, diagnostic, and treatment innovations to improve patient outcomes globally.

## Contribution

The paper synthesizes current global research on breast cancer, emphasizing new diagnostic technologies and therapies.

## Key findings

- Digital pathology and AI are redefining tumor characterization.
- Immunotherapy and targeted agents are transforming treatment approaches.
- Disparities in access to advanced care persist between high-income and LMICs.

## Abstract

Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed malignancy worldwide. Over the past decade, advances in molecular biology have expanded beyond tumor-intrinsic features to encompass the immune microenvironment and patient-specific pharmacogenomic profiles, profoundly reshaping diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic paradigms in breast oncology. Owing to rapid technological progress and an expanding therapeutic armamentarium, periodic synthesis of both foundational principles and emerging evidence remains essential for the critical interpretation of ongoing advances. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the contemporary global landscape of breast cancer, integrating developments in diagnosis, risk stratification, and therapeutic innovation. We examine the emerging technologies that are redefining tumor characterization, including digital pathology, artificial intelligence-assisted morphological and molecular analyses, and advanced molecular profiling approaches that increasingly inform prognostic and predictive assessment. We further discuss how these diagnostic frameworks are translating into therapeutic advances, with emphasis on immunotherapy, antibody-drug conjugates, mutation-directed targeted agents, therapeutic vaccines, and bispecific antibodies. Collectively, these developments highlight key translational research priorities, support evidence-based clinical decision-making, and explicitly acknowledge disparities in access and implementation between high-income settings and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** breast cancer (MONDO:0004989)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** FCGR3A (Fc gamma receptor IIIa) [NCBI Gene 2214] {aka CD16-II, CD16A, FCG3, FCGR3, FCRIIIA, FcGRIIIA}, PGR (progesterone receptor) [NCBI Gene 5241] {aka NR3C3, PR}, PDCD1 (programmed cell death 1) [NCBI Gene 100533201], NR4A1 (nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 1) [NCBI Gene 3164] {aka GFRP1, HMR, N10, NAK-1, NGFIB, NP10}, CD28 (CD28 molecule) [NCBI Gene 940] {aka IMD123, Tp44}, CSF2 (colony stimulating factor 2) [NCBI Gene 1437] {aka CSF, GMCSF}, TACSTD2 (tumor associated calcium signal transducer 2) [NCBI Gene 4070] {aka EGP-1, EGP1, GA733-1, GA7331, GP50, M1S1}, PDCD1 (programmed cell death 1) [NCBI Gene 5133] {aka ADMIO4, AIMTBS, CD279, PD-1, PD1, SLEB2}, CD8A (CD8 subunit alpha) [NCBI Gene 925] {aka CD8, CD8alpha, IMD116, Leu2, p32}, TGFB1 (transforming growth factor beta 1) [NCBI Gene 7040] {aka CAEND1, CED, DPD1, IBDIMDE, LAP, TGF-beta1}, CD274 (CD274 molecule) [NCBI Gene 574058] {aka PDL1}, CD3E (CD3 epsilon subunit of T-cell receptor complex) [NCBI Gene 397455] {aka CD3}, MET (MET proto-oncogene, receptor tyrosine kinase) [NCBI Gene 4233] {aka AUTS9, DA11, DFNB97, HGFR, RCCP2, c-Met}, MTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase) [NCBI Gene 2475] {aka FRAP, FRAP1, FRAP2, RAFT1, RAPT1, SKS}, CTAG1A (cancer/testis antigen 1A) [NCBI Gene 246100] {aka CT6.1, ESO1, LAGE-2, LAGE2A, NY-ESO-1}, CTLA4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4) [NCBI Gene 1493] {aka ALPS5, CD, CD152, CELIAC3, CTLA-4, GRD4}, IL10 (interleukin 10) [NCBI Gene 3586] {aka CSIF, GVHDS, IL-10, IL10A, TGIF}, CSF3 (colony stimulating factor 3) [NCBI Gene 1440] {aka C17orf33, CSF3OS, GCSF}, FCGR1A (Fc gamma receptor Ia) [NCBI Gene 2209] {aka CD64, CD64A, FCG1, FCGR1, FCRI, FcgammaRI}, TNF (tumor necrosis factor) [NCBI Gene 7124] {aka DIF, IMD127, TNF-alpha, TNFA, TNFSF2, TNLG1F}, EREG (epiregulin) [NCBI Gene 2069] {aka EPR, ER, Ep}, MAPK1 (mitogen-activated protein kinase 1) [NCBI Gene 5594] {aka ERK, ERK-2, ERK2, ERT1, MAPK2, NS13}, MSLN (mesothelin) [NCBI Gene 10232] {aka MPF, SMRP}, CD86 (CD86 molecule) [NCBI Gene 942] {aka B7-2, B7.2, B70, BU63, CD28LG2, CD86 v6}, IL6 (interleukin 6) [NCBI Gene 3569] {aka BSF-2, BSF2, CDF, HGF, HSF, IFN-beta-2}, ERBB3 (erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 3) [NCBI Gene 2065] {aka ErbB-3, FERLK, HER3, LCCS2, MDA-BF-1, VSCN1}, CEACAM3 (CEA cell adhesion molecule 3) [NCBI Gene 1084] {aka CD66D, CEA, CGM1, CGM1a, W264, W282}, BRCA1 (BRCA1 DNA repair associated) [NCBI Gene 672] {aka BRCAI, BRCC1, BROVCA1, FANCS, IRIS, PNCA4}, TP53I3 (tumor protein p53 inducible protein 3) [NCBI Gene 9540] {aka PIG3}, ESR1 (estrogen receptor 1) [NCBI Gene 2099] {aka ER, ESR, ESRA, ESTRR, Era, NR3A1}, HLA-A (major histocompatibility complex, class I, A) [NCBI Gene 3105] {aka HLAA}, ROR1 (ROR family WNT receptor 1) [NCBI Gene 4919] {aka NTRKR1, dJ537F10.1}, CD4 (CD4 molecule) [NCBI Gene 404704], IFNG (interferon gamma) [NCBI Gene 3458] {aka IFG, IFI, IMD69}, SLA-5 (MHC class I antigen 5) [NCBI Gene 100135029] {aka PG3I, SLA-1, SLA-5b}, TP53 (tumor protein p53) [NCBI Gene 7157] {aka BCC7, BMFS5, LFS1, P53, TRP53}, SART3 (spliceosome associated factor 3, U4/U6 recycling protein) [NCBI Gene 9733] {aka DSAP1, P100, RP11-13G14, TIP110, p110, p110(nrb)}, CXADRP1 (CXADR pseudogene 1) [NCBI Gene 653108] {aka CAR, CXADRP}, PSME2 (proteasome activator subunit 2) [NCBI Gene 5721] {aka PA28B, PA28beta, REGbeta}, IL2 (interleukin 2) [NCBI Gene 3558] {aka IL-2, TCGF, lymphokine}, CD274 (CD274 molecule) [NCBI Gene 29126] {aka ADMIO5, B7-H, B7H1, PD-L1, PDCD1L1, PDCD1LG1}, CD80 (CD80 molecule) [NCBI Gene 941] {aka B7, B7-1, B7.1, BB1, CD28LG, CD28LG1}, PIK3CA (phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha) [NCBI Gene 5290] {aka CCM4, CLAPO, CLOVE, CWS5, HMH, MCAP}, CD74 (CD74 molecule) [NCBI Gene 972] {aka CLIP, DHLAG, HLADG, II, Ia-GAMMA, p33}, CSF2 (colony stimulating factor 2) [NCBI Gene 397208] {aka GM-CSF}, CDK12 (cyclin dependent kinase 12) [NCBI Gene 51755] {aka CRK7, CRKR, CRKRS}, CD4 (CD4 molecule) [NCBI Gene 920] {aka CD4mut, IMD79, Leu-3, OKT4D, T4}, CTLA4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4) [NCBI Gene 397286], EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) [NCBI Gene 1956] {aka ERBB, ERBB1, ERRP, HER1, NISBD2, NNCIS}, ERBB2 (erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2) [NCBI Gene 2064] {aka CD340, HER-2, HER-2/neu, HER2, MLN 19, MLN-19}, MUC1 (mucin 1, cell surface associated) [NCBI Gene 4582] {aka ADMCKD, ADMCKD1, ADTKD2, CA 15-3, CD227, Ca15-3}, IRF1 (interferon regulatory factor 1) [NCBI Gene 3659] {aka IMD117, IRF-1, MAR}
- **Diseases:** toxicities (MESH:D064420), neurotoxicity (MESH:D020258), ICANS (MESH:C000722498), Cancer (MESH:D009369), stable disease (MESH:D060050), LC (MESH:D007625), DCIS (MESH:D002285), COVID-19 (MESH:D000086382), SD (MESH:D012735), neutrophil (MESH:C564275), death (MESH:D003643), PD (MESH:D010300), OS (MESH:D011475), inflammatory (MESH:D007249), T1a and T1b disease (MESH:D004194), injury to (MESH:D014947), metastases (MESH:D009362), NSCLC (MESH:D002289), IA-IB tumors (MESH:C567452), solid (MESH:D018250), invasive carcinoma (MESH:D009361), BMs (MESH:D001932), stage II (MESH:D062706), hematologic malignancies (MESH:D019337), -predominant (MESH:D006689), positive (MESH:D000377), progressive disease (MESH:D018450), leptomeningeal disease (MESH:D008577), carcinogenesis (MESH:D063646), mediated cytotoxicity (MESH:C567355), ocular toxicity (MESH:D000081028), CRS (MESH:D000080424), TNBC (MESH:D064726), Breast Cancer (MESH:D001943), B-cell malignancies (MESH:D016393)
- **Chemicals:** trastuzumab (MESH:D000068878), toripalimab (MESH:C000656314), Carbohydrate (MESH:D002241), capecitabine (MESH:D000069287), ARX788 (MESH:C000710874), SN-38 (MESH:D000077146), paclitaxel (MESH:D017239), pembrolizumab (MESH:C582435), MDX-H210 (MESH:C121360), anthracycline (MESH:D018943), hematoxylin (MESH:D006416), tocilizumab (MESH:C502936), patritumab (MESH:C585471), exemestane (MESH:C056516), Chimeric Antigen (-), H&amp;E (MESH:D006371), bevacizumab (MESH:D000068258), tremelimumab (MESH:C520704), lapatinib (MESH:D000077341), ipilimumab (MESH:D000074324), eosin (MESH:D004801), nivolumab (MESH:D000077594), taxane (MESH:C080625), disaccharide (MESH:D004187), lipid (MESH:D008055), ertumaxomab (MESH:C511895), SYD985 (MESH:C000656468), trastuzumab deruxtecan (MESH:C000614160), pertuzumab (MESH:C485206), atezolizumab (MESH:C000594389), durvalumab (MESH:C000613593), Sacituzumab govitecan (MESH:C000608132), polydimethylsiloxane (MESH:C013830), T-DM1 (MESH:D000080044)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

_Full body text omitted from this summary view._ Fetch the complete paper as Markdown: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12940920/full.md

## Figures

4 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12940920/full.md

## References

159 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12940920/full.md

---
Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12940920