Bridging the Gap in Breast Cancer Dormancy: Models, Mechanisms, and Translational Challenges

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Cancer Biology
• Translational Medicine

Background:

• Late metastatic recurrence in breast cancer (BC) is driven by dormant disseminated tumor cells (DTCs).
• DTCs evade current therapies and immune surveillance, leading to unpredictable reactivation and mortality.
• Fragmented research, inadequate models, and a lack of biomarkers impede progress in understanding and targeting BC dormancy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize current knowledge and identify critical gaps in breast cancer dormancy research.
• To propose actionable priorities for fundamental research and clinical translation.
• To advocate for integrated, standardized approaches to combat dormant disseminated tumor cells.

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of existing literature on breast cancer dormancy.
• Analysis of current research challenges, including fragmented data and inadequate models.
• Identification of promising technologies like single-cell multi-omics and spatial transcriptomics.

Main Results:

• Significant gaps exist in understanding BC dormancy mechanisms and developing effective therapeutic strategies.
• Advanced multi-omics approaches, including single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, are crucial for unraveling dormancy.
• Macrophage-targeted therapies and validated biomarkers show promise for clinical translation.

Conclusions:

• Urgent need for integrated, standardized research approaches in breast cancer dormancy.
• Development and validation of dormancy-specific clinical trials and biomarkers are essential.
• Multi-omics data combined with advanced computational analysis can illuminate dormancy and guide therapeutic development.