Conventional to Nanotherapeutic Strategies against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of breast cancer that lacks the expression of the progesterone receptor, estrogen receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2. In the past several decades, the absence of specific targets resulted in a shortage of innovative treatments, and chemotherapy remained the dominant treatment option. However, TNBC has a lower survival rate and an increased likelihood of recurrence and metastasis compared to the other subtypes of breast cancer, resulting in the development of resistance to chemotherapy. The use of nanotechnology enables the attachment of several targeting moieties, controlled release, site-specific targeting, and small size (nanometric) as well as active and passive targeting, which offers significant potential to address the unmet needs of TNBC treatments. This chapter discusses the conventional treatment approaches, novel target therapies, their molecular mechanisms, and recent advancements in nanotherapeutic-based treatments. Overall, this chapter aims to lay a roadmap for the researchers currently working in the field for their ongoing and future research. Nonetheless, the panorama of therapy options for TNBC is rapidly shifting toward a more individualized approach, with encouraging expectations resulting from this evolution.