Metabolomics in breast cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer is a clinically heterogeneous disease, which necessitates a variety of treatments and leads to different outcomes; in fact, only some women will benefit from chemotherapy. Identifying patients who will respond to chemotherapy and thereby improve their long-term survival has important implications to treatment protocols and outcomes, while identifying nonresponders may enable these patients to avail themselves of other investigational approaches or other potentially effective treatments. Furthermore, prognostic tools in early breast cancer are inadequate. The evolving field of metabolomics may allow more accurate identification of patients with residual micrometastases. Metabolomics is a new, rapidly expanding field dedicated to the global study of metabolites in biological systems. Many of the studies have focused on identifying altered metabolic levels in breast cancer cells or tissues and relating these changes to their associated metabolic pathways. Metabolomics provides a strong link between genotype and phenotype and may provide some insight into oncogenesis. The relatively new approach using metabolomics has just begun to enter the mainstream of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. As this field advances, metabolomics will take its well-deserved place next to genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics in both clinical and basic research in oncology. Results of these investigations show promise for larger studies that could result in more personalized treatment protocols for breast cancer patients.