Abstract

Background: Cancer is one of the main causes of death worldwide. Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer deaths due to its high metastasis to the lymph nodes, lungs bones and brain. Interactions with the stromal microenvironment surrounding tumor cells facilitate tumor cell migration and invasion of tissues and dissemination to other organs, to form metastasis. The development of antitumor metal-based drugs was originated with the discovery of cisplatin, however, its severe side effects represent a limitation for its clinical use. Ruthenium (Ru) complexes with different ligands have been successfully studied as promising antitumor drugs.

Conclusion: In this review, we focused on the effects of Ru complexes on breast cancer cells and their impact on different steps of the metastatic process.

Keywords: Apoptosis, breast cancer, metastasis, migration, proliferation, ruthenium complexes.

Graphical Abstract