Mitochondrial Metabolism in Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignant tumor among women worldwide. Its progression is driven, in part, by mitochondrial metabolic dysregulation, which can also contribute to therapeutic resistance. Although targeting mitochondrial metabolism offers new opportunities for treatment, significant therapeutic challenges remain. These include metabolic heterogeneity among subtypes and individual patients, drug resistance arising from metabolic plasticity, and suboptimal clinical translation of metabolic therapies. This review systematically synthesizes the mitochondrial metabolic mechanisms underlying different breast cancer subtypes, emphasizing the spatial network regulatory functions of mitochondrial metabolism. It further critically evaluates combined therapeutic strategies targeting metabolic vulnerabilities. By integrating current research limitations with emerging breakthroughs, we outline novel therapeutic frameworks to advance the development of precision medicine approaches focused on mitochondrial metabolism.