Targeting Glycolysis for Treatment of Breast Cancer Resistance: Current Progress and Future Prospects

Breast cancer stands as one of the most prevalent malignant tumors threatening women's health and is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Its treatment faces significant challenges, including drug tolerance and disease recurrence. Glycolysis serves not only as a critical metabolic pathway for energy acquisition in breast cancer cells but also essentially promotes tumor proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and the development of resistance to therapy. Recent studies have revealed a close association between glycolytic reprogramming and drug resistance in breast cancer, with high-level glycolysis emerging as a hallmark of malignancy, deeply involved in the initiation and progression of tumors. This review summarizes recent advances in research on key enzymes and signaling pathways regulating glycolysis within the bodies of breast cancer patients. It explores in depth these molecular mechanisms and their complex interaction networks, offering a fresh perspective on overcoming drug resistance in breast cancer. Moreover, it underscores the importance of developing specific inhibitors targeting key enzymes and regulators of glycolysis and suggests that combining such inhibitors with existing anticancer drugs could substantially enhance therapeutic outcomes for breast cancer patients and reduce the occurrence of drug resistance.