The Androgen Receptor: Is It a Promising Target?

A growing body of literature supports the conclusion that the androgen receptor (AR) plays an important role in breast cancer pathogenesis and may prove to be a relevant therapeutic target for patients with AR-driven breast cancer. This has been most apparent in the subset of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), in whom approximately 50% of tumors may have androgen dependence. Recent phase 2 clinical trials of agents that antagonize AR or reduce androgen production have shown clinical benefit and efficacy to varying degrees. This review highlights three of these recent trials of AR(+) TNBC and acknowledge ongoing research in this exciting area.