Introduction: For decades, the role of glycans and glycoproteins in the progression of breast cancer and other cancers have been evaluated. Through extensive studies focused on elucidating the biological functions of glycosylation, researchers have been able to implicate alterations in these functions to tumor formation and metastasis.

Areas covered: In this review, we summarize how changes in glycosylation are associated with tumorigenesis, with emphasis on breast cancers. An overview of the changes in N-linked and O-linked glycans associated with breast cancer tumors and biofluids are described. Recent advances in glycomics are emphasized in the context of continuing to decipher the glycosylation changes associated with breast cancer progression.

Expert opinion: While changes in glycosylation have been studied in breast cancer for many years, the clinical relevance of these studies has been limited. This reflects the inherent biological and clinical heterogeneity of breast cancers. Glycomics analysis lags behind the advances in genomics and proteomics, but new approaches are emerging. A summary of known glycosylation changes associated with breast cancer is necessary to implement new findings in the context of clinical outcomes and therapeutic strategies. A better understanding of the dynamics of tumor and immune glycosylation is critical to improving emerging immunotherapeutic treatments.

简介：数十年来，已经评估了聚糖和糖蛋白在乳腺癌和其他癌症进展中的作用。通过专注于阐明糖基化的生物学功能的广泛研究，研究人员已经能够暗示这些功能的改变与肿瘤的形成和转移有关。

涵盖的领域：在这篇综述中，我们总结了糖基化的变化与肿瘤发生的关系，重点是乳腺癌。描述了与乳腺癌肿瘤和生物流体有关的N-连接和O-连接的聚糖变化的概述。在继续解读与乳腺癌进展相关的糖基化变化的背景下，强调了糖组学的最新进展。

专家意见：虽然乳腺癌中糖基化的变化已经研究了很多年，但是这些研究的临床相关性受到限制。这反映出乳腺癌固有的生物学和临床异质性。糖蛋白分析落后于基因组学和蛋白质组学的发展，但是新的方法正在出现。总结与乳腺癌有关的已知糖基化变化对于在临床结果和治疗策略中实施新发现是必要的。更好地了解肿瘤和免疫糖基化的动力学对改善新兴的免疫治疗方法至关重要。