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Breast Cancer Research
Published in: Breast Cancer Research 4/2010

01-12-2010 | Section introduction

Molecular profiling currently offers no more than tumour morphology and basic immunohistochemistry

Authors: Britta Weigelt, Jorge S Reis-Filho

Published in: Breast Cancer Research | Special Issue 4/2010

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Excerpt

The management of breast cancer patients is still guided based on a constellation of clinicopathological features, including prognostic markers derived from careful histo-pathological analysis of tumours, namely tumour size, histological grade, presence of lymph node metastasis and vascular invasion [1‐3]. Despite the huge amount of resources allocated to translational research endeavours, only three predictive markers are utilised to define the therapy of breast cancer patients: oestrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR), the predictive markers of response to endocrine therapy, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), the molecular target of trastuzumab and lapatinib. These parameters are then used in conjunction either in the form of guidelines (for example, St Gallen's consensus criteria) or included in multivariable algorithms (for example, Adjuvant!Online) for clinical decision making [1‐3]. Albeit seemingly simplistic, this approach has been shown to be clinically relevant, given that predictions made with Adjuvant!Online do correlate with the actual outcome of breast cancer patients [4], and, most importantly, the use of this framework to define the systemic therapy of breast cancer patients has contributed to the steady decline in the mortality of breast cancer patients [5]. Although eective, this approach is not sucient for the potential of individualised therapy to be realised. …
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Metadata
Title
Molecular profiling currently offers no more than tumour morphology and basic immunohistochemistry
Authors
Britta Weigelt
Jorge S Reis-Filho
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Breast Cancer Research / Issue Special Issue 4/2010
Electronic ISSN: 1465-542X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/bcr2734

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