Abstract

NATURAL PRODUCTS COMBATING BREAST CANCER

Manbir Kaur* and Parmpal Kaur

ABSTRACT

Breast cancer is the second leading reason of cancer-related mortality among women worldwide and seem to be expanding day by day.[1] Several exogenous and endogenous factors can stimulate the pathology of breast cancer and can deteriorate the situation.[2] Although current therapies (adjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and/or hormone therapy) have shown some promise against breast cancer but there is still no effective cure for the advanced stage of breast cancer (metastatic breast cancer) which spread beyond the breast, affecting the nearby lymph nodes and other organs of the body. Over the past years, significant advances have been made towards the discovery of new drugs for treating BC along with identification of new pathways, biomarkers, and natural molecules that can fight against aggressiveness of breast cancer, inhibition of the cancerous cell proliferation, and modulating cancer related pathways. Natural products derived from a variety of sources may have the tendency to stimulate many physiological pathways which can be beneficial for ailment of stubborn diseases[3] like cancer.[4] Cancer chemoprevention is defined as the use of natural or synthetic compounds to prevent, slow, suppress, or reverse the carcinogenic processes. Bioactive compounds derived from plant are the most popular alternative medicine which may reduce adverse effects.

Keywords: Tumors, Breast cancer, Chemoprevention, Natural anticancer drugs.