Innovative Therapeutic Strategies for Hormone-sensitive Breast Cancer: A Patent Landscape Review

Hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer remains a major therapeutic challenge due to endocrine resistance and disease progression. This study investigates the patent landscape of innovative pharmacological strategies for HR+ breast cancer, highlighting emerging targets, technological trends, and their alignment with clinical development.

Patent documents were identified through searches of the European Patent Office databases via the keywords "breast cancer and hormone therapy" in the title and/or abstract, along with the International Patent Classification code A61K. The review also examines clinical trials to evaluate the development and approval of new drugs for medical use.

A total of 25 patents were selected. Notably, CDK4/6 inhibitors have emerged as promising agents for controlling tumor progression and overcoming endocrine resistance. Another significant innovation involves the use of PIK3CA inhibitors, which are effective in patients with specific mutations in this gene, which are commonly found in HR+ breast cancers.

The findings indicate that recent technological developments emphasize targeted mechanisms of action, deeper integration of precision oncology, and a continued shift toward strategies to delay or overcome endocrine resistance. These trends reflect an innovative landscape driving increasingly specific and personalized systemic therapies.

This review describes current patent-driven innovations in hormone-sensitive breast cancer, highlighting the focus on precision systemic therapies and combination strategies for advanced disease. However, limited attention to the management of endocrine-related adverse effects reveals a critical unmet need for future research and technological development.