• 1. Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Bayannur Hospital, Bayannur, Inner Mongolia 015000, P. R. China;
  • 2. Central Laboratory, Bayannur Hospital, Bayannur, Inner Mongolia 015000, P. R. China;
  • 3. Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, P. R. China;
ZHOU Yi, Email: lubj2001@163.com
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Objective To systematically elucidate the resistance mechanism of targeted drug therapy for breast cancer and to discuss future direction of optimized treatment strategies. Method A literature review on targeted therapy for breast cancer had been conducted based on recent domestic and international research. Results Contemporary breast cancer targeted therapies mainly comprised human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-directed agents, CDK4/6 inhibitors, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mechanistic target of rapamycin pathway blockers, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors, and immune checkpoint modulators, etc. While these agents had conferred subtype-specific survival benefits, resistance developed through target mutations, compensatory signaling, epigenetic alterations, drug efflux pumps, among other mechanisms. Emerging strategies for reversing drug resistance included dual-targeted approaches (such as trastuzumab in combination with pertuzumab), dynamic monitoring of drug-resistant gene mutations by liquid biopsy, epigenetic modulators, etc. Conclusions Drug resistance remains a key bottleneck limiting long-term efficacy of breast cancer targeted therapy. Future research should integrate multi-omics approaches to decipher tumor heterogeneity, implement combinatorial multi-target inhibition with real-time monitoring of multidimensional interventions, and leverage artificial intelligence to predict resistance evolution. This integrated strategy is expected to enable personalized combination therapies, ultimately overcoming drug resistance and improving patient survival outcomes.

Citation: YUAN Shuanglong, JIA Lizhou, ZHOU Yi. Research advances in targeted drug therapy and drug resistance mechanisms for breast cancer. CHINESE JOURNAL OF BASES AND CLINICS IN GENERAL SURGERY, 2025, 32(9): 1181-1188. doi: 10.7507/1007-9424.202504123 Copy

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