Peptide-based targeted therapies revolutionize breast cancer treatment by enhancing precision delivery and overcoming resistance.

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of mortality globally, demanding innovative therapeutic strategies that combine precise targeting with effective delivery. Conventional therapies often face limitations such as off-target toxicity, poor bioavailability, and the challenge of tumor heterogeneity and resistance. Peptides offer a unique advantage due to their inherent specificity and adaptability, making them ideal candidates to address these critical gaps in current oncology treatments. Their ability to act as targeting ligands, vaccine epitopes, and delivery enhancers positions them as a cornerstone for next-generation cancer therapeutics.

This comprehensive review synthesizes recent advances in peptide-based targeted therapies for breast cancer, analyzing their multifaceted roles from conjugates to precision delivery systems. The authors systematically examined literature on peptides functioning as tumor-targeting ligands, vaccine epitopes, and delivery enhancers. They explored various platforms including exosomes, nanoparticles, drug conjugates, and engineered immune cells, focusing on how these systems leverage peptide specificity to improve therapeutic outcomes. The review highlights strategies to disrupt oncogenic signaling pathways, modulate the tumor microenvironment, and overcome therapeutic resistance.

The review identifies peptides as highly versatile tools, significantly advancing breast cancer therapy by enabling precise drug delivery and overcoming key therapeutic challenges. It highlights their utility as specific tumor-targeting ligands, facilitating the selective accumulation of therapeutics at cancer sites. Furthermore, peptides are shown to function effectively as vaccine epitopes, stimulating robust anti-tumor immune responses, and as delivery enhancers for various nanocarriers.

The core finding emphasizes that peptide-based multifunctional systems are crucial for addressing limitations of conventional therapies, particularly by leveraging peptide specificity to disrupt oncogenic signaling pathways and modulate the tumor microenvironment. The review details how these innovative approaches contribute to overcoming therapeutic resistance and tackling tumor heterogeneity, which are persistent hurdles in effective breast cancer management. It underscores the broad applicability of peptides across diverse platforms, from exosomes and nanoparticles to drug conjugates and engineered immune cells, showcasing their adaptability in creating highly effective, targeted interventions.