Natural Products for the Prevention, Treatment and Progression of Breast Cancer

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Cancer is one of the most dangerous diseases in humans, and no permanent therapy has been developed yet. Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers in women. The purpose of this review was to clarify how natural products may play a role in the prevention, treatment and progression of BC. For all the compounds examined, in vitro and in vivo studies, as well as clinical studies on BC, are described. ABSTRACT: In this review, we summarize the most used natural products as useful adjuvants in BC by clarifying how these products may play a critical role in the prevention, treatment and progression of this disease. BC is the leading cancer, in terms of incidence, that affects women. The epidemiology and pathophysiology of BC were widely reported. Inflammation and cancer are known to influence each other in several tumors. In the case of BC, the inflammatory component precedes the development of the neoplasm through a slowly increasing and prolonged inflammation that also favors its growth. BC therapy involves a multidisciplinary approach comprising surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. There are numerous observations that showed that the effects of some natural substances, which, in integration with the classic protocols, can be used not only for prevention or integration in order to prevent recurrences and induce a state of chemoquiescence but also as chemo- and radiosensitizers during classic therapy.