Importantly, experimental studies have found that phthalates promote the proliferation of prostate cancer cells by activating MAPK/AP-1 pathway (30), and that di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate weakens the ability of camptothecin, a cancer chemotherapy agent, to inhibit lung cancer cell growth via reducing DNA damage and activating Akt/NF-κB pathway (31). This evidence concerns the gene AKT1 and prostate cancer.