Current molecular diagnostics of breast cancer and the potential incorporation of microRNA.
Although comprehensive molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine have sparked excitement among researchers and clinicians, they have yet to be fully incorporated into today's standard of care. This is despite the discovery of disease-related oncogenes, tumor-suppressor genes and protein biomarkers, as well as other biological anomalies related to cancer. Each year, new tests are released that could potentially supplement or surpass standard methods of diagnosis, including serum, protein and gene expression analyses. All of these novel approaches have shown great promise, but initial enthusiasm has diminished as difficulties in reproducibility, expense, standardization and proof of significance beyond current protocols have emerged. This review will focus on current and novel molecular diagnostic tools applied to breast cancer with special attention to the exciting new field of microRNA analysis.
Zoon
Christine K
CK
Tumor Angiogenesis Section, Surgery Branch National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Starker
Elizabeth Q
EQ
Wilson
Arianne M
AM
Emmert-Buck
Michael R
MR
Libutti
Steven K
SK
Tangrea
Michael A
MA
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D035683:MicroRNAs; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone