Breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cause of cancer related deaths in women. The risk profile BC and the choice of its treatment modalities depend upon the rate of incidence, treatment outcome, prognosis, and the extent of metastases. Though, multiple modalities to treat BC exist, there is no single panacea available. The discovery of novel molecular targets, availability of innovative dosage forms to deliver drugs to the tumor microenvironment and an upsurge in the biologicals have revolutionized the treatment of BC. However, the cost-effectiveness of such therapies, their unavoidable adverse effects, and poor therapeutic outcomes underscore the need to search for still better therapeutic options. On this backdrop, the striking anticancer efficacies of multiple phytoconstituents that have succeeded to enter the later phases of clinical trials present a renewed hope in treating BC. In this review, we have given account of selected secondary plant metabolites that are posing as new options in treating breast cancer. Their interactions with molecular pathways and therapeutic targets involved in the initiation and progression of BC are elaborated.
Key words: Genistein, Curcumin, Sulforaphane, Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, Silibinin, Phytoconstituents.
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