Can we replace the microscope with microarrays for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of early breast cancer?
In recent years, molecular research has translated into remarkable changes for breast cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. Molecular tests such as Oncotype DX® and MammaPrint® have revolutionized the predictive and prognostic tools in the clinic. By stratifying the risk of recurrence for patients, the tests are able to provide clinicians with more information on the treatment outcomes of using chemotherapy, endocrine therapy or combination therapies for patients with genetic expression patterns. However, it is still questionable for clinical applications as some areas remain unclear; the true benefit still needs prospective evaluation. In this paper, the limitation and the possibility to replace traditional histopathologic features of molecular tests are discussed. At the moment, it seems there are still limitations that prevent microarrays from replacing the microscope for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of early breast cancer. However, additional important clinical information is added to traditional histology and IHC determination of ER, PR and HER2 in terms of prognostic and predictive power.
Stefan
S
Glück
Adrian Yun-San
AY
Yip
Elizabeth Lam-Yan
EL
Ng
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use
D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D013629:Tamoxifen; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human