Breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in women throughout the world. Multiple drugs have been approved by US-FDA for breast related malignancies. Frequent emergence of resistances creates the severe need of newer moieties that are free from such problems. Drugs targeting breast cancer have been observed to be based on the multiple mechanisms of action, and various indole based anticancer agents have also been explored. Moreover, indoles have promising anti-cancer potential; there has been the emphasis on the synthesis of indole derivatives to overcome problems faced by existing therapeutic agents. Taking into consideration the above-mentioned facts we have analyzed in detail the possible role of indole based anticancer agents typically for breast related malignancies. This is the first exhaustive review that jointly covers various synthetic anticancer indole derivatives and related signaling pathways by which these derivatives have shown promising anti-breast cancer potential. ? 2016 Bentham Science Publishers.