Editorial: Recent advancements in neoadjuvant chemotherapy for specific breast cancer subtypes

Abstract

Most locally advanced breast cancer patients undergo pre-surgery treatment known as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). The purpose of NAC is to reduce the tumor’s size and improve surgical outcomes, cosmetic results, and chances of conservative breast surgery, control tumor progression and observe tumor sensitivity (or resistance) to the chosen treatment regimen (1–4). Several studies have suggested better survival outcomes in patients achieving complete pathological remission than in patients with residual or progressive disease at the time of definitive surgery (5, 6). However, the mechanisms of primary resistance and strategies to overcome those are a matter of intense research. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype and is responsible for most of the annual mortality rate of breast cancer (7, 8).

This Research Topic focused on studies that tackle the most recent advances in treating breast cancer using NAC. Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) is used safely to treat breast cancer patients (9). In addition, it has a superior benefit over free doxorubicin since it is distributed in smaller volumes with extended circulation time (10). A recent clinical trial demonstrated that pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) is safe for TNBC with a particular focus on elderly patients and those with risks of developing cardiotoxicity (Gil-Gil et al.)