Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
9.0
4.9
Journals
IJMS
Special Issues
Breast Cancer: From Pathophysiology to Novel Therapies, 2nd Edition
ijms-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Breast Cancer: From Pathophysiology to Novel Therapies, 2nd Edition

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 1354

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jennifer Sims-Mourtada

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Cawley Center for Translational Cancer Research, Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute, ChristianaCare, 4701 Ogletown Stanton Rd Suite 4300, Newark, DE 19713, USA
Interests: triple-negative breast cancer; tumor microenvironment; humoral immunity; chemo/radiation response
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advancements in breast cancer research are increasingly focusing on the interplay between genetics and the tumor microenvironment (TME). Understanding the genetic mutations and variations that drive breast cancer helps identify targets for novel therapies. The TME, which includes immune cells, stromal cells, and the extracellular matrix, also plays a crucial role in stemness, tumor progression, and response to treatment. New model systems, such as patient-derived organoids, strive to replicate the complexity of breast tumors and their microenvironments, enabling more accurate drug screening and personalized therapy development. These organoids retain the genetic and histological features of the original tumors, providing insights into how genetic factors and TME interactions influence cancer behavior and treatment efficacy. By integrating genetic information and TME dynamics, researchers can develop targeted treatments that improve outcomes for breast cancer patients, including those with aggressive subtypes like triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

For this Special Issue, we seek original studies on all aspects of breast cancer research, including mechanisms driving stemness, tumor growth, and metastasis, with an emphasis on interactions between genetics and the tumor microenvironment and new model systems to identify and screen novel therapies.

Dr. Jennifer Sims-Mourtada
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • breast cancer
  • genetics
  • tumor microenvironment
  • model systems
  • organoids
  • immune cells
  • tumor stroma
  • therapeutic resistance
  • novel therapies

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

25 pages, 2108 KB  
Review
Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein in Breast Cancer: Mechanistic Insights into Pathogenesis and Therapeutics
by Arpita Marick, Britney Manna, Hafiz Khan and Pulak R. Manna
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(7), 3117; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27073117 - 30 Mar 2026
Viewed by 557
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC), a multifactorial condition, remains one of the most common malignancies in women, in which the majority of BCs are hormone-sensitive and are activated by estrogens, especially 17β-estradiol (E2). Whereas aromatization of androgens to estrogens is achieved by the aromatase enzyme, [...] Read more.
Breast cancer (BC), a multifactorial condition, remains one of the most common malignancies in women, in which the majority of BCs are hormone-sensitive and are activated by estrogens, especially 17β-estradiol (E2). Whereas aromatization of androgens to estrogens is achieved by the aromatase enzyme, the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein, by mobilizing the transport of intra-mitochondrial cholesterol, plays an indispensable role in E2 biosynthesis. Accumulating evidence indicates that aromatase expression is aberrantly high and analogous in normal and malignant breast tissues, even though endocrine therapy, based on aromatase inhibitors (AIs), has been the mainstay of BC treatment in post-menopausal women. Despite the beneficial effects of AIs, their long-term usage has been associated with undesirable long-term side effects, including endocrine resistance, which is the leading cause of cancer death, warranting an improved therapy for mitigating this devastating disease. Along these lines, we reported that StAR is differentially expressed, along with E2 biosynthesis, in human and mouse cancerous and non-cancerous breast cells and tissues, in which we discovered that StAR is an acetylated protein, in addition to the identification of a number of lysine residues, undergoing acetylation and deacetylation, suggesting the importance of this newly uncovered StAR modification in E2 regulation in mammary tissue. One of the current therapeutic approaches for BC is targeting with histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs), as these epigenetic enzymes control multiple cellular processes, including chromatin remodeling and genomic stability through the dynamic process of acetylation and deacetylation of core histones. Concomitantly, we have demonstrated that several HDACIs, including FDA-approved HDACIs, at therapeutically and clinically relevant doses, alter StAR acetylation patterns and suppress E2 accumulation in both hormone-sensitive human BC and mouse primary cultures of breast tumor epithelial cells. This review provides the molecular insights into breast pathogenesis and its therapeutics, and proposes that a combination therapy involving AI and HDACI, targeting aromatase and StAR, respectively, suppresses intra-tumoral E2 accumulation and limits antagonistic side effects, and these measures are beneficial for the prevention and/or management of hormone-sensitive BC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: From Pathophysiology to Novel Therapies, 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

32 pages, 6129 KB  
Review
NKGD2 Ligands (NKG2DLs) in Breast Cancer: In Silico Analysis and Narrative Review
by Jesús Peña-López, Angelo Gámez-Pozo, Lucía Trilla-Fuertes, Fernando Becerril-Gómez, Marta Mendiola, Victoria Heredia, Laura Yébenes, Beatriz Castelo, Virginia Martínez-Marín, Enrique Espinosa, Pilar Zamora, Alfonso Alba-Bernal, Cristina Aguirre-Portolés and Antonio Pérez-Martínez
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(4), 1848; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27041848 - 14 Feb 2026
Viewed by 565
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is a global health problem. BC is a biologically heterogeneous disease in which novel immunotherapeutic strategies are needed, particularly in the metastatic setting. The NKG2D/NKG2D ligand (NKG2DL) axis is a key component of innate antitumor immunity and represents a potential [...] Read more.
Breast cancer (BC) is a global health problem. BC is a biologically heterogeneous disease in which novel immunotherapeutic strategies are needed, particularly in the metastatic setting. The NKG2D/NKG2D ligand (NKG2DL) axis is a key component of innate antitumor immunity and represents a potential therapeutic target, but its relevance in BC has not been fully characterized. We performed an in silico analysis of NKG2DL expression in BC cell lines, healthy breast tissue, and tumor samples using publicly available transcriptomic databases (DSMZCellDive, ShinyTHOR, GTEx, TCGA, Human Protein Atlas), complemented by survival analyses from TCGA and KMPlot and a narrative review of the literature. NKG2DL transcripts were consistently expressed in BC cell lines and tumor tissues, with higher expression observed in ductal histology, higher tumor stage, and basal molecular subtype. Survival analyses showed heterogeneous and generally weak associations between individual NKG2DLs and clinical outcomes. In silico proteomics data are scarce, but the narrative review showed that NKG2DLs are expressed by immunohistochemistry in tumor tissues but absent in surrounding healthy tissues. The literature review also revealed concomitant dysfunction of NKG2D+ effector cells due to multiple resistance mechanisms (including ligand shedding). We also review potential therapeutic approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: From Pathophysiology to Novel Therapies, 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop