Plant-derived Nutrients in the Prevention and Prognosis of Breast Cancer in Women.

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor among women worldwide, with a new case diagnosed every 1.8 seconds on average ; in 2020, it surpassed lung cancer to become the most prevalent cancer globally. In my country, the incidence of breast cancer has risen year by year alongside lifestyle changes; in 2020, there were 416,000 new cases, accounting for 9.1% of all new cancer diagnoses and 19.9% of new cancer cases among women, making it the most common cancer among Chinese women . Concurrently with the rising incidence, the mortality rate of breast cancer in my country has also increased annually, rising from 4.87 per 100,000 in 2003 and 6.67 per 100,000 in 2015 to 9.50 per 100,000 in 2020 . Despite continuous advancements in treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy, issues such as recurrence, metastasis, and treatment-related side effects continue to severely compromise patients' quality of life . Among high-risk populations, factors such as genetics (e.g., BRCA mutations), hormonal exposure, and lifestyle choices collectively drive the risk of developing the disease; consequently, there is an urgent need for effective preventive measures to reduce incidence, as well as innovative strategies to improve patient prognosis and alleviate the disease burden. Dietary nutrition is a key modifiable factor in the primary prevention and rehabilitation management of breast cancer. Researchers have found that the Mediterranean diet can significantly improve inflammatory and immune markers, including interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) . Studies indicate that bioactive compounds derived from plants influence the onset and progression of breast cancer through mechanisms such as antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory effects, and epigenetic regulation . For instance, coenzyme Q10 can inhibit tumor growth, enhance the efficacy of endocrine therapy for breast cancer, and alleviate chemotherapy-induced side effects ; resveratrol reduces the release of inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway, and studies indicate an inverse correlation between resveratrol intake and breast cancer risk ; anthocyanins modulate the activity of estrogen-metabolizing enzymes and inhibit the proliferation of hormone-dependent tumors ; curcumin blocks the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thereby inhibiting the invasion and metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer ; and ginsenosides exert synergistic anti-tumor effects by activating immune cells and inducing apoptosis in tumor cells . The multi-target nature of these natural compounds offers new perspectives for breast cancer prevention and treatment, yet their clinical translation requires support from high-quality evidence. Current research largely focuses on single compounds in laboratory settings or small-scale clinical trials, which fail to capture the complexities of human metabolism and the synergistic effects of multiple components in real-world scenarios. Furthermore, the long-term effects, dose-dependency, and impact of population heterogeneity (such as molecular subtypes and genetic polymorphisms) regarding nutritional interventions remain unclear. While the strictly controlled conditions of traditional randomized controlled trials (RCTs) can validate efficacy, extrapolating results to real-world populations is often complicated by confounding factors like concomitant medications and dietary variations. Therefore, integrating multi-center real-world data to systematically evaluate the value of phytonutrient supplements in prevention and prognosis represents a crucial pathway to bridging the translational medicine gap. This study aims to conduct a multi-center real-world study comprising a "prevention cohort" and a "prognosis cohort." The prevention cohort targets individuals at high risk for breast cancer to evaluate the inhibitory effects of plant-derived nutrients-such as curcumin and anthocyanins-on precancerous lesions. The prognosis cohort, stratified by breast cancer molecular subtypes, will investigate the effects of subtype-specific plant-derived nutritional interventions on patient constitution, inflammatory-immune status, survival outcomes, and quality of life. Through dynamic follow-up, biomarker analysis, and real-world efficacy comparisons, the study seeks to establish personalized nutritional intervention strategies and provide evidence-based support for breast cancer prevention and treatment.