PREDICTIVE BIOMARKERS IN BREAST CANCER

Abstract

Personalized medicine reflects the demand of scientists and clinicians for the most accurate approach to each individual patient. This approach is mostly pronounced in oncology, where various predictive and prognostic biomarkers aim to facilitate the diagnosis and optimize the cancer treatment. They are used successfully to assess the benefits that could be achieved through targeted therapy or in assessing the toxic effects of chemotherapeutic regimens used in the daily practice. In this review article we will focus on key markers in breast cancer such as BRCA1 and 2 mutations, ER-α/PgR status, HER2 status, Ki-67 proliferative index and PD-L1, as well as the role of circulating tumor cells.