Progress of important clinical research of breast cancer in China in 2023

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignant tumor among women globally, posing a serious threat to women's health. With the establishment of staging and typing principles for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, and the development and application of novel antitumor drugs, the survival and quality of life of breast cancer patients have been continuously improving. In China, the large base of breast cancer patients possesses unique incidence characteristics, necessitating ongoing exploration of more appropriate treatment strategies; the volume and level of clinical research are also continuously advancing. In 2023, significant clinical research results were reported for different subtypes of breast cancer. In surgical treatment, clinical trials on targeted axillary lymph node dissection and the establishment of a predictive model BRCA-CRisk for contralateral breast cancer risk provide more evidence for de-escalation in surgical treatment. In the area of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer, pyrotinib has shown significant efficacy in advanced breast cancer treatment. In triple-negative breast cancer, precision subtype treatment and immunotherapy continue to improve patient survival. For hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, significant research results were obtained in exempting low-risk patients from chemotherapy and exploring alternative options after resistance to endocrine therapy. In the aspect of BRCA mutations, BGB-290-201 further confirmed the therapeutic efficacy and safety of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors for the Chinese population. For advanced HER2-negative patients carrying germline BRCA (gBRCA)1/2 mutations, pamiparib will be an ideal treatment choice. This article reviews the important clinical research in the field of breast cancer in China in 2023, summarizes key results, and aims to provide reference ideas for future clinical research.