title: Gene profiling assay and application: the predictive role in primary therapy.
abstract: Several treatment options, including endocrine therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy, have been shown to improve survival of breast cancer patients. Currently, clinical tests for predicting cancer response are not available, and individual markers have shown little predictive value. Several gene expression profiling studies have been carried out in the attempt to identify predictive signatures. The neoadjuvant setting revealed to be ideal for this purpose because it allows the direct assessment of response to treatment, and tumor is readily available for multiple time point biopsies. Although the results are promising, at the moment, none of these signatures has been proven to be of sufficient discriminatory power to be used in clinical setting. More effective therapies targeted to specific subsets of patients, accurate and standardized definition of therapeutic response, and properly designed clinical trials are required before microarrays can reliably be used as tools for clinical decision making.
authors: Breast Cancer Translational Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Institut Jules Bordet, Bruxelles 1000, Belgium.
authors: Debora
authors: D
authors: Fumagalli
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Desmedt
authors: Michail
authors: M
authors: Ignatiadis
authors: Sherene
authors: S
authors: Loi
authors: Martine
authors: M
authors: Piccart
authors: Christos
authors: C
authors: Sotiriou
mesh_terms: D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy / Q000379:methods; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
chemical_list: D018943:Anthracyclines; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor