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Pharmaceuticals
Volume 18
Issue 7
10.3390/ph18070961
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Review

Bridging the Gap in Breast Cancer Dormancy: Models, Mechanisms, and Translational Challenges

by
Hussein Sabit
1,*,
Shaimaa Abdel-Ghany
2,
Yasser Albrahim
3,
Al-Hassan Soliman Wadan
4,
Sanaa Rashwan
5,
Rebekka Arneth
6 and
Borros Arneth
7,8,*
1
Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Misr University for Science and Technology, P.O. Box 77, Giza 3237101, Egypt
2
Department of Environmental Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Misr University for Science and Technology, P.O. Box 77, Giza 3237101, Egypt
3
Ministry of Health, Alahsa 39182, Saudi Arabia
4
Oral Biology Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Galala University, Galala Plateau, Attaka, Suez 15888, Egypt
5
University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK
6
Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital of the Universities of Giessen and Marburg (UKGM), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Feulgenstr. 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany
7
Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, Molecular Diagnostics, Hospital of the Universities of Giessen and Marburg (UKGM), Philipps University Marburg, Baldingerstr. 1, 35043 Marburg, Germany
8
Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, Molecular Diagnostics, Hospital of the Universities of Giessen and Marburg (UKGM), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Feulgenstr. 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Pharmaceuticals 2025, 18(7), 961; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18070961 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 7 June 2025 / Revised: 20 June 2025 / Accepted: 23 June 2025 / Published: 26 June 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adjuvant Therapies for Cancer Treatment: 2nd Edition)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) poses a significant clinical challenge due to late metastatic recurrence, driven by dormant disseminated tumor cells (DTCs). This review emphasizes the urgency of addressing tumor dormancy to reduce metastatic relapse, a major contributor to BC mortality. DTCs evade conventional therapies and immune surveillance, reactivating unpredictably, thus necessitating targeted strategies. Current research is fragmented, with conflicting data, inadequate models, and a lack of biomarkers hindering progress. This review synthesizes these gaps and proposes actionable priorities, advocating for integrated, standardized approaches. It highlights the roles of single-cell multi-omics, spatial transcriptomics, and humanized long-term models in unraveling dormancy mechanisms. The review also emphasizes macrophage-targeted therapies, dormancy-specific trials, and biomarker validation, offering paths to clinical translation. Ultimately, this work emphasizes the urgent need for integrated multi-omics approaches, including single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, combined with advanced computational analysis. Moreover, this review critically analyzes the existing research landscape, meticulously identifying key gaps, and proposing concrete, forward-looking directions for both fundamental research and clinical translation in the challenging field of BC dormancy.
Keywords: BC; tumor dormancy; metastatic recurrence; microenvironment; translational research BC; tumor dormancy; metastatic recurrence; microenvironment; translational research

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MDPI and ACS Style

Sabit, H.; Abdel-Ghany, S.; Albrahim, Y.; Wadan, A.-H.S.; Rashwan, S.; Arneth, R.; Arneth, B. Bridging the Gap in Breast Cancer Dormancy: Models, Mechanisms, and Translational Challenges. Pharmaceuticals 2025, 18, 961. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18070961

AMA Style

Sabit H, Abdel-Ghany S, Albrahim Y, Wadan A-HS, Rashwan S, Arneth R, Arneth B. Bridging the Gap in Breast Cancer Dormancy: Models, Mechanisms, and Translational Challenges. Pharmaceuticals. 2025; 18(7):961. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18070961

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sabit, Hussein, Shaimaa Abdel-Ghany, Yasser Albrahim, Al-Hassan Soliman Wadan, Sanaa Rashwan, Rebekka Arneth, and Borros Arneth. 2025. "Bridging the Gap in Breast Cancer Dormancy: Models, Mechanisms, and Translational Challenges" Pharmaceuticals 18, no. 7: 961. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18070961

APA Style

Sabit, H., Abdel-Ghany, S., Albrahim, Y., Wadan, A.-H. S., Rashwan, S., Arneth, R., & Arneth, B. (2025). Bridging the Gap in Breast Cancer Dormancy: Models, Mechanisms, and Translational Challenges. Pharmaceuticals, 18(7), 961. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18070961

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