Abstract Studies in breast cancer have demonstrated that apatinib exhibits both antiangiogenic and antitumor effects, while PD-L1 inhibitors have similarly shown meaningful clinical benefit. Building upon these observations, this study evaluated the potential synergistic antitumor effects of combining apatinib with a PD-L1 inhibitor and examined the mechanistic basis for their interaction in breast cancer. Notably, we found that this regimen could significantly suppress the proliferation, migration, and invasion of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, and promote cell apoptosis. In addition, the levels of p-ERK, NF-κB, and Slug were markedly reduced in vitro. Collectively, these findings support the potential clinical utility of combining apatinib and PD-L1 inhibition, as evidenced by consistent in vitro and in vivo synergy.
Han et al. (2026) studied this question.