title: Breast cancer proteomics: a review for clinicians.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Breast cancer is one of the major health problems of the Western world. Although the survival rate has improved with progress in screening and adjuvant systemic therapies, one-third of the patients with initial breast tumor have recurrence of the disease 10 years after the diagnosis, demonstrating the presence of micrometastasis. The underlying molecular mechanism of the disease needs to be better understood. Allied to genomics, proteomics technologies promise to be valuable for identifying new markers that improve screening, early diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of therapeutic response or toxicity, as well as the identification of new therapeutic targets. In this review, we present features of proteomic technology and its main implications, focusing on the protein profile in tumor tissues/cells through MALDI/SELDI, as well as on the current proteomic challenges in the breast cancer study.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a research of protein profiling studies using mass spectrometry in breast cancer to identify potential biomarkers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Many protein peaks have been reported to bear significant diagnostic, prognostic or predictive value; however, the candidate biomarkers have not been validated for use in clinical patient care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Proteomics is under development and, despite technical barriers that precede the use of proteomics analysis in clinical practice and breast cancer complexity, MALDI-TOF/SELDI-TOF MS proteomic platforms with their innovations are powerful analytical tools for the detection of better protein biomarkers, since the studies are conducted with adequate statistical power and analytical rigor. In the near future, they will be able to fulfill their role in personalized medicine.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas/Universidade Estadual do Piauí, Rua São Pedro, 3274, Apto 103, Ilhotas, Teresina, Piauí 64.001-260, Brazil. elllisarosa@uol.com.br
authors.forename: E R C G N
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Galvão
authors.forename: L M S
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Ibiapina
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: S J H
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Monte
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000175:diagnosis; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D011379:Prognosis; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins