Current Update on Natural Agents Against Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Current Update on Natural Agents Against Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Prathibha Sivaprakasam, Sureshkumar Anandasadagopan, Tamilselvi Alagumuthu, Ashok Kumar Pandurangan
Copyright: © 2020 |Pages: 23
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2094-9.ch005
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Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) is sub-categorized into several well-recognized subtypes including estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). It is a heterogeneous disease entity constituting about 15% of breast cancer cases worldwide. TNBC is associated with poor prognosis and lack of sustained response to conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Although no approved targeted therapy is available for TNBCs, molecular-profiling efforts have revealed promising molecular targets such as the Wnt/β-catenin, STAT3, VEGF, EGFR, polyadenosine ribose polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) and DNA repair pathway, androgen pathway, and NOTCH pathway. Moreover, more research needs to be performed in the area of TNBC aiming at dissecting potential pathways and identifying potential molecular signatures to develop new targeted biologic modifiers. Natural agents are the abundant chemical compounds available from diverse plants. The authors aimed to summarize the current evidence and discuss the natural agents that target TNBC using different pathways.
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Introduction

Cancers can be precisely defined as an abnormal growth of cells which are usually derived from a single aberrant cell. These cancerous cells tend to lose their normal control mechanisms and multiplies incessantly to form a multitude of cancerous tissue called tumor which besieges the nearby tissues, traverses to varied regions of the body from the primary site (metastasis) and promotes growth of new blood vessels from which the cells procure nutrients (Pandurangan et al., 2015).

In short, cancer is the chaotic proliferation of cells with the following eminent features - lack of differentiation of cells, local seizure of tissues in proximity and metastasis. Tumors can either be malignant or benign. Benign tumors are restricted to one area and do not metastasize. Whereas, malignant tumors, made up of cancerous cells can easily metastasizes within the body by traversing through the bloodstream or lymphatic system (lymph fluid).

Figure 1.

Understanding breast cancer

978-1-7998-2094-9.ch005.f01

Amidst greater than 100 different cancer types, most cancers derive their name from the site of origin in the body. For instance, lung cancer begins from the lungs and breast cancer is triggered from the breasts.

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Breast Cancer (Bc)

Aetiology

The most classical and familiar cancer amongst women is Breast Cancer (BC) and it is also confirmed to be the second most common reason for cancer associated mortality in women (Angahar, 2017). A statistical study in 2015 reported that each year nearly 1,384,155 new patients were registered around the globe with approximately 459,000 linked deaths per annum (Tao et al., 2015). Nearly 198,000 cancer related deaths occur annually which signifies nearly 15.4% of the total mortality rate in the developed regions alone succeeding lung cancer (Ly et al., 2011). BC is an extensively diversified form of cancer pertaining to its pathological characteristics exhibiting passive growth and eminent prognosis in some while others displaying aggressiveness. According to recent predictions and statistics conducted worldwide, BC and its linked mortality are found to be spiralling. GLOBOCAN statistical reports of the year 2012 reveals that, proximately 1.7 million women were detected with BC and close to 522,000 linked deaths had occurred which eventually signifies increased BC incidence and its linked deaths by nearly 18% since 2008. Another study by the American Cancer Society states that one among every eight women between the age group of 40 to 59 in the United States possess the chance of developing BC in her lifetime (Cox & Morgan, 2013). It has also been anticipated that the incidence of female BC worldwide may reach nearly 3.2 million new cases per annum by the year 2050 (Tao et al., 2015) and that the lifetime risk of a woman to develop the invasive form of BC will reach approximately 12.6%.

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