Unraveling Biomarker Signatures in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review for Targeted Approaches

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive subtypes of breast cancer, marked by poor outcomes and dismal prognosis. Due to the absence of targetable receptors, chemotherapy still represents the main therapeutic option. Therefore, current research is now focusing on understanding the specific molecular pathways implicated in TNBC, in order to identify novel biomarker signatures and develop targeted therapies able to improve its clinical management. With the aim of identifying novel molecular features characterizing TNBC, elucidating the mechanisms by which these molecular biomarkers are implicated in the tumor development and progression, and assessing the impact on cancerous cells following their inhibition or modulation, we conducted a literature search from the earliest works to December 2023 on PubMed, Scopus, and Web Of Science. A total of 146 studies were selected. The results obtained demonstrated that TNBC is characterized by a heterogeneous molecular profile. Several biomarkers have proven not only to be characteristic of TNBC but also to serve as potential effective therapeutic targets, holding the promise of a new era of personalized treatments able to improve its prognosis. The pre-clinical findings that have emerged from our systematic review set the stage for further investigation in forthcoming clinical trials.

Fatty Acid Synthase as Interacting Anticancer Target of the Terpenoid Myrianthic Acid Disclosed by MS-Based Proteomics Approaches

“…Of note were cytotoxic outcomes obtained in the triple-negative phenotype MDA-MB-231, which is usually refractory to many types of anti-tumor treatments [ 39 ]. For this type of breast cancer marked by dismal prognosis, chemotherapy currently remains the only effective option, which is the reason why the search for new and safe chemotherapeutic agents is a foremost objective for researchers [ 40 ]. In line with literature data concerning the UA analogue, MA has also shown to be safe and biocompatible in preclinical tests, where it does not exhibit cytotoxic effects on normal cells [ 36 ].…”