REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1666171
This article is part of the Research TopicImmune Landscape in the Transition from Inflammation to TumorigenesisView all 12 articles
Inflammation and Immune Microenvironment in Breast Cancer Development: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies From Inflammation "Catalysis" to Immune "Failure"
Provisionally accepted
- 1School of Medical and Life Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- 2Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
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Breast cancer (BC) represents one of the most common malignant diseases affecting women worldwide, and its progression is intimately associated with dynamic alterations in both inflammatory responses and the immune microenvironment. It is well-established that inflammation significantly contributes to tumor initiation, whereas interactions within the immune microenvironment critically modulate cancer development. The current review comprehensively discusses the distribution patterns of immune cells, key signaling pathways and their regulatory mechanisms, and the roles of immune checkpoints within the BC immune landscape. Specifically, emphasis is placed on delineating how various immune subsets, including T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, and particular myeloid cell populations, impact BC pathogenesis. Additionally, this review extensively analyzes essential signaling cascades, to clarify their involvement in bridging inflammatory reactions and tumor malignancy. Furthermore, the clinical implications of inflammation-related biomarkers and therapeutic strategies targeting the inflammation-immunity axis are critically discussed. By synthesizing recent advancements, the review highlights the therapeutic promise of simultaneously targeting inflammatory pathways and immune modulation for BC treatment, thus establishing foundational insights for the future development of innovative cancer immunotherapies.
Keywords: breast cancer, Inflammation, immune microenvironment, immune escape, Signaling Pathways, immune checkpoints
Received: 16 Jul 2025; Accepted: 02 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gao, Chang, Zheng, Lai, Liang, Xu, Deng and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Bocheng Gao, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
Yulin Li, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
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