Molecular classification and testing of breast carcinoma

Abstract

Breast cancer is not one disease but a heterogeneous group of entities with different clinical outcomes. High-throughput genomic techniques provide new insights into the molecular heterogeneity of breast cancer. This has redefi ned how we classify breast cancer and offers the potential to revolutionize patient management through more precise determination of prognosis based on tumor biology and the opportunity for targeted treatments directed at the specifi c molecular aberrations driving tumor growth. This chapter describes models for the molecular classifi cation of breast cancer, current genetic signatures available for predicting prognosis, and future prospects for monitoring disease and response to therapy.