Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women worldwide, and its high incidence and mortality rate seriously threaten women's health. Studies show that the forkhead box O3a (FoxO3a) plays a key role in the occurrence and progression of breast cancer, particularly in the regulation of apoptosis. As a major member of the FoxO family, FoxO3a exerts tumor-suppressive functions by participating in apoptosis regulation and cell-cycle control. In breast cancer cells, FoxO3a acts as a downstream signaling hub of multiple upstream pathways including phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1). Through nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and alterations in transcriptional activity, FoxO3a precisely modulates the expression of apoptosis-related target genes such as Bcl-2-interacting mediator of cell death (Bim) and p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA), thereby influencing cell survival or death. In addition, multiple natural compounds and combination therapies can induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells by restoring or enhancing FoxO3a activity, and may partially overcome treatment resistance. Systematic elucidation of the complexity of the FoxO3a signaling network and its dual roles in breast cancer therapy may provide theoretical support for understanding tumor-drug resistance mechanisms and for developing precision therapeutic strategies targeting FoxO3a nodes. Future research should further clarify the functional differences among FoxO3a splice variants and FoxO family members, reveal the molecular basis of FoxO3a functional switching in the tumor microenvironment, and promote the clinical translation of biomarkers and targeted drugs.