Immunotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide, with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) posing the greatest therapeutic challenge due to limited treatment options and high recurrence rates. Immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), has redefined management in TNBC, with pembrolizumab now a standard of care in both early-stage and metastatic settings. Emerging strategies, including cancer vaccines, adoptive cellular therapies, and combination immunotherapies are under investigation, and yet to demonstrate clinical benefit. Key unmet needs include biomarker development for better patient selection and prediction of risk for immune related adverse events, as well as rapid diagnosis, and management of immune-related toxicities. Despite these challenges, immunotherapy offers transformative potential to improve outcomes in breast cancer.