Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype that does not express estrogen, progesterone, or the human epidermal growth factor (HER2/neu) receptors, and has a low overall survival rate compared to other types of breast cancer.
Unlike hormone and HER2/neu positive breast cancers, targeted therapies are not available for TNBC. Thus, the systemic chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin is widely used for the treatment of TNBC. However, doxorubicin resistance is common, and leads to poorer treatment outcomes.
Understanding factors that contribute to doxorubicin resistance is critical to improving cancer treatment outcomes among women with TNBC. Pre-clinical in vitro studies indicate that exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as bisphenols and phthalates, contribute to doxorubicin resistance, but these findings have not been evaluated in humans.
