Breast cancer chemoprevention by dietary natural phenolic compounds: Specific epigenetic related molecular targets

Breast cancer is a systemic malignant disease that is a major cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide. Recently, multiple lines of evidence from epidemiologic studies have suggested that epigenetic and genetic changes are involved in breast cancer development. In breast cancer patients, hormone receptor status, breast cancer stem-like cell population, and tumor microenvironment are reflective of breast cancer progression, drug resistance, and tumor recurrence. Strong relationships between a phytochemical-rich diet and a reversal of epigenetic alterations and/or modulated signaling pathways of carcinogenesis (initiation, promotion, and progression) suggest a potential approach for preventing breast cancer. Additionally, dietary consumption of natural phenolic compounds containing phytoestrogen properties exerts beneficial effects in breast cancer chemoprevention. In this review, we summarize the specific chemopreventive targets of representative phenolic compounds with an emphasis on their efficacy at interfering with epigenetic event related hormonal and nonhormonal signaling cascades that are responsible for multistage breast carcinogenesis.