Importance of Breast Cancer Subtype in the Development of Androgen Receptor Directed Therapy

The androgen receptor (AR) has re-emerged as a potential therapeutic target in breast cancer. This stems from recent progress made in preclinical models, that have recognized important differences in the effect of AR expression on patient outcomes among different breast cancer subtypes. In parallel, the clinical development of new generations of AR directed therapies for prostate cancer has begun to mature. The availability of these new agents has translated into new trials to treat breast cancer. It is critical that studies of the effect of AR expression and signaling in breast cancer be context and subtype specific in order to successfully target AR signalling as a therapeutic strategy for breast cancer. We will review developments in preclinical studies, and recent clinical trials targeting AR in breast cancer.