Biomarkers in Breast Cancer – An Update

Abstract

The therapy of choice for breast cancer patients requiring adjuvant chemo- or radiotherapy is increasingly guided by the principle of weighing the individual effectiveness of the therapy against the associated side effects. This has only been made possible by the discovery and validation of modern biomarkers. In the last decades and in the last few years some biomarkers have been integrated in clinical practice and a number have been included in modern study concepts. The importance of biomarkers lies not merely in their prognostic value indicating the future course of disease but also in their use to predict patient response to therapy. Due to the many subgroups, mathematical models and computer-assisted analysis are increasingly being used to assess the prognostic information obtained from established clinical and histopathological factors. In addition to describing some recent computer programmes this overview will focus on established molecular markers which have already been extensively validated in clinical practice and on new molecular markers identified by genome-wide studies.

Zusammenfassung

Die Therapiewahl für die Mammakarzinompatientin in der adjuvanten Situation folgt immer mehr dem Prinzip, die individuelle Therapieeffektivität und die Nebenwirkungen gegeneinander abzuwägen. Die Entdeckung und Validierung moderner Biomarker ermöglicht erst dieses Vorgehen. In den letzten Jahrzehnten und insbesondere in den letzten Jahren konnten einige Biomarker in die klinische Praxis und in moderne Studienkonzepte integriert werden. Nicht nur der Vorhersage der Prognose kommt hierbei eine besondere Bedeutung zu, sondern auch der Vorhersage des Therapieansprechens durch Prädiktivfaktoren. Die Nutzung der prognostischen Information aus etablierten, klinischen und histopathologischen Faktoren erfolgt aufgrund der Vielzahl von Untergruppen mehr und mehr in Form von mathematischen Modellen und computergestützter Auswertung. Neben der Darstellung aktueller Programme soll in dieser Übersichtsarbeit des Weiteren der Fokus auf etablierten, molekularen Markern, die bereits eine umfassende klinische Validierung vorweisen können, und neuen molekularen Markern liegen, die durch genomweite Ansätze identifiziert wurden.

Key words

biomarker - Her2/neu (human epidermal growth factor receptor) - breast cancer

Schlüsselwörter

Biomarker - Her-2/neu - Mammakarzinom

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