Modeling intratumor heterogeneity in breast cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Breast cancer therapy response is limited by tumor heterogeneity (composition, expression, spatial distribution).
• Existing two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures fail to replicate the complex tumor microenvironment and 3D spatial context.
• There is a critical need for advanced models that mimic in vivo tumor characteristics for accurate drug response evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the advantages and challenges of current three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models for breast cancer therapy response evaluation.
• To highlight the role of 3D bioprinting in creating physiologically relevant tumor models.
• To discuss future directions for developing advanced 3D models applicable to various cancers.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on 3D in vitro tumor models, focusing on breast cancer.
• Emphasis on advancements and applications of 3D bioprinting technologies.
• Analysis of model capabilities in replicating tumor heterogeneity and microenvironment interactions.

Main Results:

• Three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models better incorporate compositional and spatial heterogeneity than 2D models.
• 3D bioprinting enables the creation of complex, reproducible, and physiologically accurate tumor models.
• These advanced models show promise for improved assessment of breast cancer drug response.

Conclusions:

• Current 3D in vitro models, particularly those developed via 3D bioprinting, offer significant advantages over 2D cultures for studying breast cancer.
• Further development is needed to fully leverage these models for personalized medicine and broader cancer research.
• 3D bioprinting holds potential for creating next-generation cancer models with enhanced predictive power.