Breast Cancer Survivorship: Long-Term Toxicities, Quality of Life, and Patient-Reported Outcomes

Advances in early detection and multimodal treatment have dramatically improved breast cancer survival rates, with the global survivor population now exceeding 8 million. Yet survival does not equate to full recovery. A growing body of evidence documents that the physical, psychological, and functional consequences of breast cancer treatment frequently extend well beyond the completion of therapy — affecting survivors for years or decades. Understanding and addressing these consequences has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges in oncology.Long-term and late toxicities span a broad spectrum: chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, cardiotoxicity from anthracyclines and HER2-targeted agents, aromatase inhibitor-associated musculoskeletal symptoms, treatment-related cognitive impairment, lymphedema, bone density loss, and endocrine disruption including premature menopause. These sequelae are not merely transient side effects; they fundamentally alter survivorship trajectories and are often undertreated or inadequately characterized in routine clinical follow-up.Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have become indispensable tools for capturing the survivorship experience with precision and clinical validity. Instruments such as the EORTC QLQ-C30/BR23, FACT-B, and PROMIS modules enable systematic measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) across physical, emotional, social, and functional domains. Integrating PROs into both prospective trials and real-world survivorship care is essential for identifying which patients are most at risk, evaluating the effectiveness of supportive interventions, and informing shared decision-making.This Research Topic invites contributions that advance the science of breast cancer survivorship across several interconnected themes. Of particular interest are longitudinal studies characterizing the trajectory of treatment-related toxicities and HRQoL from active therapy through extended follow-up; validation and implementation of PRO instruments in diverse breast cancer populations; biomarker and clinical predictors of late-effect susceptibility; and the impact of tumor biology and treatment subtype — including triple-negative, HER2-positive, and hormone receptor-positive disease — on survivorship outcomes. Research examining disparities in survivorship burden across racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and age-related subgroups is also highly relevant, as is the growing role of digital health technologies in remote PRO collection and survivorship monitoring.Interventional research — including exercise oncology, psychological support, pharmacological management of late toxicities, and structured survivorship care planning — is central to this topic, particularly where outcomes are anchored in validated PRO endpoints. Studies that bridge mechanistic understanding of toxicity pathways with patient-centered outcome measurement are especially encouraged.By consolidating high-quality research across these domains, this Research Topic aims to define the current landscape of breast cancer survivorship science, identify critical gaps, and catalyze the development of evidence-based care models that extend the benefits of survival into meaningful long-term wellbeing.Please note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal. Topic editors: Alessandro de Sire, Sonali Rudra, Yvonne L. Eaglehouse Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81718/breast-cancer-survivorship-long-term-toxicities-quality-of-life-and-patient-reported-outcomes