Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women worldwide, and thus, it is important to enhance its treatment efficacy [1]. Copper has emerged as a critical trace element that affects various intracellular signaling pathways, gene expression, and biological metabolic processes [2], thereby playing a crucial role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Recent studies have identified cuproptosis, a newly discovered type of cell death, as an emerging therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment, thereby offering new hope for breast cancer patients. Tsvetkov’s research has elucidated the mechanism of cuproptosis and uncovered the critical genes involved in its regulation [3]. Manipulating the expression of these genes could potentially serve as a promising therapeutic strategy for breast cancer treatment. Additionally, using copper ionophores and copper complexes combined with nanomaterials to induce cuproptosis may provide a potential approach to eliminating drug-resistant breast cancer cells, thus improving the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy and eventually eradicating breast tumors. This review aims to highlight the practical significance of cuproptosis-related genes and the induction of cuproptosis in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. We examine the potential of cuproptosis as a novel therapeutic target for breast cancer, and we explore the present challenges and limitations of this approach. Our objective is to provide innovative ideas and references for the development of breast cancer treatment strategies based on cuproptosis.

乳腺癌是全球女性最常见的恶性肿瘤之一,因此提高其治疗效果具有重要意义[ 1 ]。铜已成为影响各种细胞内信号通路、基因表达和生物代谢过程的关键微量元素[ 2 ]，从而在乳腺癌的发病机制中发挥着至关重要的作用。最近的研究将铜凋亡这种新发现的细胞死亡类型确定为乳腺癌治疗的新兴治疗靶点，从而为乳腺癌患者带来了新的希望。Tsvetkov 的研究阐明了铜凋亡的机制，并揭示了参与其调节的关键基因 [ 3 ]。操纵这些基因的表达可能成为乳腺癌治疗的一种有前途的治疗策略。此外，利用铜离子载体和铜配合物与纳米材料结合诱导铜凋亡可能为消除耐药乳腺癌细胞提供潜在的方法，从而提高化疗、放疗和免疫治疗的疗效，最终根除乳腺肿瘤。本文旨在探讨铜凋亡相关基因以及诱导铜凋亡在乳腺癌临床诊治中的实际意义。我们研究了铜凋亡作为乳腺癌新治疗靶点的潜力，并探讨了这种方法目前的挑战和局限性。我们的目标是为基于铜凋亡的乳腺癌治疗策略的制定提供创新思路和参考。