title: Breast cancer circulating biomarkers: advantages, drawbacks, and new insights.
abstract: As of today, the level of individualization of cancer therapies has reached a level that 20 years ago would be considered visionary. However, most of the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapy-predictive procedures which aim to improve the overall level of personalization are based on the evaluation of tumor tissue samples, therefore requiring surgical operations with consequent low compliance for patients and high costs for the hospital. Hence, the research of a panel of circulating indicators which may serve as source of information about tumor characteristics and which may be obtainable by a simple withdrawal of peripheral blood today represents a growing field of interest. This review aims to objectively summarize the characteristics of the currently available breast cancer circulating biomarkers, also providing an overview about the multitude of novel potential soluble predictors which are still under evaluation. Specifically, the usefulness of a so-called "liquid biopsy" will be discussed in terms of improvements of diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy-prediction, but an overview will be given also on the potentiality of the molecular characterization arising from the isolation of circulating biomarkers and cells. Although this review will focus on the specific case of the breast, in the future liquid biopsies will hopefully be available for virtually any type of neoplasms.
authors: U.O. Ematologia e CTMO, AZ. Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy.
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Ravelli
authors: Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
authors: James M
authors: JM
authors: Reuben
authors: U.O. Ematologia e CTMO, AZ. Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy.
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Lanza
authors: Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
authors: Simone
authors: S
authors: Anfossi
authors: U.O. Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria, U.S. Terapia Molecolare e Farmacogenomica, AZ. Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy.
authors: Maria Rosa
authors: MR
authors: Cappelletti
authors: U.O. Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria, U.S. Terapia Molecolare e Farmacogenomica, AZ. Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy.
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Zanotti
authors: U.O. Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria, U.S. Terapia Molecolare e Farmacogenomica, AZ. Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy.
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: Gobbi
authors: U.O. Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria, U.S. Terapia Molecolare e Farmacogenomica, AZ. Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy.
authors: Chiara
authors: C
authors: Senti
authors: U.O. Ematologia e CTMO, AZ. Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy.
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Brambilla
authors: U.O. Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria, U.S. Terapia Molecolare e Farmacogenomica, AZ. Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy.
authors: Manuela
authors: M
authors: Milani
authors: U.O. Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria, U.S. Terapia Molecolare e Farmacogenomica, AZ. Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy.
authors: Daniele
authors: D
authors: Spada
authors: S.C Oncologia, Dipartimento di Onco-Ematologia, Policlinico IRCCS San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Pedrazzoli
authors: U.O. Ematologia con Trapianto di Midollo Osseo e Terapia Intensiva, Dipartimento di Oncologia, AZ. Ospedaliera Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli, 89100, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
authors: Massimo
authors: M
authors: Martino
authors: U.O. Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria, U.S. Terapia Molecolare e Farmacogenomica, AZ. Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy.
authors: Alberto
authors: A
authors: Bottini
authors: U.O. Multidisciplinare di Patologia Mammaria, U.S. Terapia Molecolare e Farmacogenomica, AZ. Istituti Ospitalieri di Cremona, Viale Concordia 1, 26100, Cremona, Italy. daniele.generali@gmail.com.
authors: Daniele
authors: D
authors: Generali
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D001706:Biopsy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: Breast cancer circulating biomarkers; Breast cancer liquid biopsy; Circulating DNA; Circulating microRNA; Circulating tumor cells; Microvesicles and exosomes