Abstract

RECENT ADVANCES IN BREAST CANCER TREATMENT: INNOVATIONS AND ONGOING RESEARCH

Sugra Begum*(Pharm-D) and Afeefa*(Pharm-D)

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide, with approximately 2.3 million new cases reported annually, accounting for about 1 in 8 cancer diagnoses globally, according to the World Health Organization. These statistics are based on 2022 data, which recorded 2.3 million diagnoses and 670,000 deaths from breast cancer. While nearly 99% of breast cancer cases occur in women, 0.5-1% affect men. Several factors increase the risk of developing breast cancer, including advancing age, obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, family history, prior radiation exposure, reproductive history (such as age at menarche and first pregnancy), tobacco use, and postmenopausal hormone therapy. Inherited high-penetrance gene mutations, particularly in BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2 genes, significantly elevate the risk. Women with mutations in these genes may opt for risk-reducing strategies, such as prophylactic mastectomy or chemoprevention. The management of breast cancer in men follows the same treatment principles as in women. This chapter explores the etiology of breast cancer, alongside the latest innovative research on its associated risk factors.

Keywords: Breast cancer, Etiology, Vaccine, Therapies, Treatments.