Prolactin acts as a survival factor for breast cancer cells, but the prolactin signaling pathway and the mechanism is unknown. Previously, we identified the master chaperone, heat shock protein 90α (HSP90α), as a prolactin-Janus-Kinase-(JAK2)-signal-transducer-and-activator-of-transcription-5-(STAT5) target gene involved in survival, and here we investigated the role of HSP90 in the mechanism of prolactin-induced viability in response to DNA damage. The ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase protein (ATM) plays a critical role in the cellular response to double strand DNA damage. Prolactin increased viability of breast cancer cells treated with doxorubicin or etoposide. The increase in cellular resistance is specific to the prolactin receptor, as the prolactin receptor antagonist, Δ1-9-G129R-hPRL, prevented the increase in viability. Two different HSP90 inhibitors, 17-allylamino-17-demethoxy geldanamycin and BIIB021, reduced the prolactin-mediated increase in cell viability of doxorubicin treated cells, and led to a decrease in JAK2, ATM and phospho-ATM protein levels. Inhibitors of JAK2 (G6) and ATM (KU55933) abolished the prolactin-mediated increase in cell viability of DNA damaged cells, supporting the involvement of each, as well as the cross-talk of ATM with the prolactin pathway in the context of DNA damage. Drug synergism was detected between the ATM inhibitor, KU55933, and doxorubicin, and also between the HSP90 inhibitor, BIIB021, and doxorubicin. Short interfering RNA, directed against ATM, prevented the PRL-mediated increase in cell survival in both 2D and 3D collagen gel cultures, and in clonogenic cell survival, after doxorubicin treatment. Our results indicate that ATM contributes to the prolactin-JAK2-STAT5-HSP90 pathway in mediating cellular resistance to DNA damaging agents.