Current Status and Future Perspectives of Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer: From Classical Approaches to the Evolution of Precision Systemic Medicine

Abstract

Hormone receptor-positive breast cancer is the most prevalent molecular subtype of breast cancer. Its therapeutic strategy has progressively evolved from simple endocrine deprivation toward a systematic management model centered on endocrine therapy and integrated with molecularly targeted treatment and dynamic monitoring. This review summarizes the developmental trajectory of endocrine therapy for breast cancer, outlines the classical therapeutic agents and combination strategies used after endocrine resistance, and discusses future directions driven by liquid biopsy, artificial intelligence, and emerging estrogen receptor degradation technologies.