Virotherapy, a strategy to use live viruses as therapeutics, is a relatively novel field in the treatment of cancer. With the advancements in molecular biology and virology, there has been a huge increase in research on cancer virotherapy. For the treatment of cancer, viruses could be used either as vectors in gene therapy or as oncolytic agents. A variety of viruses have been studied for their potential usage in gene therapy or oncolytic therapy. In this review, we discuss virotherapy with a special focus on breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. Current treatments are insufficient to cure metastatic breast cancer and are often associated with severe side effects that further deteriorates patients’ quality of life. Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches such as virotherapy need to be developed for the treatment of breast cancer. Here we summarize the current treatments for breast cancer and the potential use of virotherapy in the treatment of the disease. Furthermore, we discuss the use of oncolytic viruses as immunotherapeutics and the rational combination of oncolytic viruses with other therapeutics for optimal treatment of breast cancer. Finally, we outline the progress made in virotherapy for breast cancer and the shortcomings that need to be addressed for this novel therapy to move to the clinic for better treatment of breast cancer.

病毒疗法是一种使用活病毒作为疗法的策略，是癌症治疗中一个相对较新的领域。随着分子生物学和病毒学的进步，癌症病毒疗法的研究有了巨大的增长。对于癌症的治疗，病毒可以用作基因治疗中的载体或用作溶瘤剂。已经研究了多种病毒在基因治疗或溶瘤治疗中的潜在用途。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了特别关注乳腺癌的病毒疗法。乳腺癌是最常见的癌症，也是全世界女性癌症相关死亡的主要原因。目前的治疗方法不足以治愈转移性乳腺癌，并且通常与进一步恶化患者生活质量的严重副作用有关。所以，需要开发新的治疗方法，例如病毒疗法来治疗乳腺癌。在这里，我们总结了目前的乳腺癌治疗方法以及病毒疗法在治疗该疾病中的潜在用途。此外，我们讨论了溶瘤病毒作为免疫疗法的用途，以及溶瘤病毒与其他疗法的合理组合，以实现乳腺癌的最佳治疗。最后，我们概述了乳腺癌病毒疗法的进展以及这种新疗法要进入临床以更好地治疗乳腺癌需要解决的缺点。我们讨论了溶瘤病毒作为免疫疗法的用途，以及溶瘤病毒与其他疗法的合理组合，以实现乳腺癌的最佳治疗。最后，我们概述了乳腺癌病毒疗法的进展以及这种新疗法要进入临床以更好地治疗乳腺癌需要解决的缺点。我们讨论了溶瘤病毒作为免疫疗法的用途，以及溶瘤病毒与其他疗法的合理组合，以实现乳腺癌的最佳治疗。最后，我们概述了乳腺癌病毒疗法的进展以及这种新疗法要进入临床以更好地治疗乳腺癌需要解决的缺点。