[Relative indicators for disease outcome in breast carcinoma]

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Cancer Research

Context:

• Traditional prognostic factors for breast carcinoma include tumor size, axillary nodal status, histologic grading, and hormonal receptor status.
• Clinical validation of novel molecular tumor characteristics is challenging.
• There is a growing clinical interest in predictive factors for treatment response over purely prognostic factors.

Purpose:

• To review the established and emerging factors influencing breast carcinoma treatment decisions.
• To highlight the potential of molecular markers as predictive indicators for therapy.
• To emphasize the current role of established factors and known predictive factors in treatment planning.

Summary:

• Established prognostic factors for breast carcinoma are tumor size, nodal status, histologic grade, and hormonal receptor status.
• Hormonal receptor status is a key predictive factor for hormonal therapy response.
• Tumor suppressor gene p53 and oncogene Her2/neu correlate with cytostatic treatment sensitivity.
• Molecular tumor parameters are increasingly recognized for their potential as predictive factors for specific treatments.

Impact:

• Molecular tumor parameters may guide personalized treatment strategies in breast carcinoma.
• Advances in understanding molecular mechanisms of tumor growth and spread offer hope for novel antineoplastic approaches.
• Current treatment plans should integrate established prognostic factors with known predictive factors for optimal patient management.