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Review
. 2023 Jun:212:115545.
doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115545. Epub 2023 Apr 11.

Triple-negative breast cancer: epidemiology, molecular mechanisms, and modern vaccine-based treatment strategies

Asad Mustafa Karim  1 , Jeong Eun Kwon  2 , Tanveer Ali  3 , Jinsoo Jang  2 , Irfan Ullah  4 , Yeong-Geun Lee  2 , Dae Won Park  2 , Juha Park  2 , Jin Woo Jeang  2 , Se Chan Kang  5
Affiliations
Review

Triple-negative breast cancer: epidemiology, molecular mechanisms, and modern vaccine-based treatment strategies

Asad Mustafa Karim et al. Biochem Pharmacol. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

Long-standing scarcity of efficacious treatments and tumor heterogeneity have contributed to triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a subtype with a poor prognosis and aggressive behavior that accounts for 10-15% of all new cases of breast cancer. TNBC is characterized by the absence of progesterone and estrogen receptor expression and lacks gene amplification or overexpression of HER2. Genomic sequencing has detected that the unique mutational profile of both the somatic and germline modifications in TNBC is staggeringly dissimilar from other breast tumor subtypes. The clinical utility of sequencing germline BRCA1/2 genes has been well established in TNBC. Nevertheless, reports regarding the penetrance and risk of other susceptibility genes are relatively scarce. Recurring mutations (e.g., TP53 and PI3KCA mutations) occur together with rare mutations in TNBC, and the shared effects of genomic modifications drive its progression. Given the heterogeneity and complexity of this disease, a clinical understanding of the genomic modifications in TNBC can pave an innovative way toward its therapy. In this review, we summarized the most recent discoveries associated with the underlying biology of developmental signaling pathways in TNBC. We also summarize the recent advancements in genetics and epidemiology and discuss state-of-the-art vaccine-based therapeutic strategies for TNBC that will enable tailored therapeutics.

Keywords: BRCA; Cancer vaccines; Genetic penetrance; Molecular pathways; Triple-negative breast cancer; mRNA therapeutics.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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