Molecular targets for treatment of breast cancer

Advances in molecular biology have made it possible to understand the tumor biology of breast cancer at the molecular level and have revealed molecular targets for the therapy of breast cancer. Nowadays, targeting agents are used as mono-therapy or as combined therapy with other anticancer drugs for the treatment of breast cancer. Much more efforts is also being made in the development of better therapeutic agents targeting molecules having an important role in tumor biology. In this article, promising molecules for targeted therapy are reviewed for their roles in the pathophysiology and the treatment of breast cancer. We also introduce and summarize new preclinical agents, developed or on developing, with preliminary results from clinical trials. Given the progress currently being made, targeted therapy could become a main strategy for the treatment of breast cancer in the near future.