Current Molecular Combination Therapies Used for the Treatment of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for women worldwide. While monotherapy (single agent) treatments have been used for many years, they are not always effective, and many patients relapse after initial treatment. Moreover, in some patients the response to therapy becomes weaker, or r...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/19/11046 |
| _version_ | 1797479234321514496 |
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| author | Yiling Wang Audrey Minden |
| author_facet | Yiling Wang Audrey Minden |
| author_sort | Yiling Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for women worldwide. While monotherapy (single agent) treatments have been used for many years, they are not always effective, and many patients relapse after initial treatment. Moreover, in some patients the response to therapy becomes weaker, or resistance to monotherapy develops over time. This is especially problematic for metastatic breast cancer or triple-negative breast cancer. Recently, combination therapies (in which two or more drugs are used to target two or more pathways) have emerged as promising new treatment options. Combination therapies are often more effective than monotherapies and demonstrate lower levels of toxicity during long-term treatment. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of current combination therapies, including molecular-targeted therapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy. We also describe the molecular basis of breast cancer and the various treatment options for different breast cancer subtypes. While combination therapies are promising, we also discuss some of the challenges. Despite these challenges, the use of innovative combination therapy holds great promise compared with traditional monotherapies. In addition, the use of multidisciplinary technologies (such as nanotechnology and computer technology) has the potential to optimize combination therapies even further. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:42:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3722e1fa12f64362a98a2495e6d0f003 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:42:54Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-3722e1fa12f64362a98a2495e6d0f0032023-11-23T20:26:19ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672022-09-0123191104610.3390/ijms231911046Current Molecular Combination Therapies Used for the Treatment of Breast CancerYiling Wang0Audrey Minden1Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USASusan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USABreast cancer is the second leading cause of death for women worldwide. While monotherapy (single agent) treatments have been used for many years, they are not always effective, and many patients relapse after initial treatment. Moreover, in some patients the response to therapy becomes weaker, or resistance to monotherapy develops over time. This is especially problematic for metastatic breast cancer or triple-negative breast cancer. Recently, combination therapies (in which two or more drugs are used to target two or more pathways) have emerged as promising new treatment options. Combination therapies are often more effective than monotherapies and demonstrate lower levels of toxicity during long-term treatment. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of current combination therapies, including molecular-targeted therapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy. We also describe the molecular basis of breast cancer and the various treatment options for different breast cancer subtypes. While combination therapies are promising, we also discuss some of the challenges. Despite these challenges, the use of innovative combination therapy holds great promise compared with traditional monotherapies. In addition, the use of multidisciplinary technologies (such as nanotechnology and computer technology) has the potential to optimize combination therapies even further.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/19/11046breast cancercellular pathwaysmolecular drugscombination therapy |
| spellingShingle | Yiling Wang Audrey Minden Current Molecular Combination Therapies Used for the Treatment of Breast Cancer International Journal of Molecular Sciences breast cancer cellular pathways molecular drugs combination therapy |
| title | Current Molecular Combination Therapies Used for the Treatment of Breast Cancer |
| title_full | Current Molecular Combination Therapies Used for the Treatment of Breast Cancer |
| title_fullStr | Current Molecular Combination Therapies Used for the Treatment of Breast Cancer |
| title_full_unstemmed | Current Molecular Combination Therapies Used for the Treatment of Breast Cancer |
| title_short | Current Molecular Combination Therapies Used for the Treatment of Breast Cancer |
| title_sort | current molecular combination therapies used for the treatment of breast cancer |
| topic | breast cancer cellular pathways molecular drugs combination therapy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/19/11046 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yilingwang currentmolecularcombinationtherapiesusedforthetreatmentofbreastcancer AT audreyminden currentmolecularcombinationtherapiesusedforthetreatmentofbreastcancer |