Downregulation of androgen receptor is strongly associated with diabetes in triple negative breast cancer patients.

Developing of personalized therapies for Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) requires a more detailed knowledge of its biology and a correct stratification of molecular subtypes. Androgen Receptor (AR) is expressed in a large part of TNBCs but its prognostic role in this Breast Cancer (BC) subtype is highly debated. In this study, we analyzed AR expression in a series of 238 TNBCs and correlated its expression with clinical-pathological features, survival, and metabolic profile. We showed a consistent association between AR expression and a better prognosis of TNBC patients, while its downregulation appeared strongly associated with diabetic disease. Since a recent prospective study reported a lower BC risk in diabetic women treated with drugs able to reduce circulating levels of glucose compared with non-diabetic woman, and in vitro studies showed that AR level are regulated directly by hyperglycemia, we speculate on the perspective of new integrated therapies for TNBC.