REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
This article is part of the Research TopicUnderstanding the Breast Tumor Microenvironment: Advances in Emerging Biomarkers and Molecular Targets for Precision OncologyView all articles
The cGAS-STING Signaling Pathway: Emerging Targets and Challenges in Breast Cancer Immunotherapy
Provisionally accepted
- 1sichuan cancer hospital, 9623.1030851, China
- 2University of Electronic Science and Technology of China School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Chengdu, China
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The cGAS-STING signaling pathway serves as a crucial bridge between innate and adaptive immunity, playing a dual role in breast cancer pathogenesis and treatment. This review delves into its complex functions within the breast tumor microenvironment, where pathway activation can either stimulate potent antitumor immunity or paradoxically promote tumor progression through immunosuppressive mechanisms. We examine the promising therapeutic strategy of utilizing STING agonists to transform immunologically quiescent tumors into T-cell-inflamed environments and their synergistic potential when combined with established modalities. The translation of these findings into clinical practice, however, faces considerable hurdles. This work critically summarizes the overarching challenges in the field and explores innovative approaches designed to overcome them. Finally, we present a forward-looking perspective on the rational development of next-generation immunotherapies centered on cGAS-STING pathway modulation, outlining key priorities for achieving its full therapeutic potential in breast cancer.
Keywords: Biomarker Discovery, breast cancer, cGAS-STING, combination therapy, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy resistance, STING agonists, tumor microenvironment (TME) remodeling
Received: 15 Aug 2025; Accepted: 05 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 SUN, Chen and Zeng. 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: Shiyan Zeng
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