Editorial: Recent advances in small molecule-based targeted therapy for breast cancer

Concern about the global burden of breast cancer is ever-growing with a projection of annual one million deaths by 2040. As breast cancer, is a highly heterogeneous type, the incidence and mortality rates are largely impacted by the type of treatment available for specific breast cancer subtypes. This eventually highlights the need for more personalized treatment and therapy. The landscape in breast cancer research has evolved over the past decades as we establish a growing understanding of cellular pathways and molecular targets. This has further accelerated the development of small molecule-based targeted therapy in oncology. Small molecule drug design enables tumor-cells specific death by binding to a target. In recent years there has been increasing interest in small molecule-based targeted drug development over macromolecular drug design, due to its advantages in pharmaceutical aspects. Majority of these small molecules targeted therapy in breast cancer are targeting signaling pathways (e.g., receptor tyrosine kinases), membrane receptors (e.g., EGFR inhibitors) and some regulatory proteins (e.g., PARP inhibitors). In view of recent developments, this Research Topic aims to spotlight the recent advances in small molecule-based targeted therapy for breast cancer. It comprises four literature reviews discussing new developments in targeted drug discovery and design in breast cancer.