Association of Cytokines and Chemokines in Pathogenesis of Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer touches women's life worldwide. Expected outcome is not achieved due to molecular heterogeneity and complex biology despite substantial advancement in diagnosis, prevention and treatment of breast cancer. Patients with estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2) positive tumors receive hormone ablation and Her2 directed therapy. While patients diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer receive chemotherapy in both the early and advanced stages. However, chemotherapeutic efficacies are not the same in every patient, which has fostered a major effort to identify new targets to treat breast cancer. Positive therapeutic outcome after immune checkpoint inhibitors emphasizes the significance of the host immune system in breast cancer. Cancer develops in immune competent host wherein cytokines, while shaping the immune system, also serve as growth signals for cancer cells. The dynamics of cross talk between immune system and cancer cells mediated by cytokines and chemokines changes during cancer initiation, progression, and therapeutic interventions. Hence, better understanding of molecular footprint of cancer cells, as well as crosstalk between cancer cells and host immune system is needed to develop patient specific treatment and management of breast cancer.