[Histopathological and molecular biological prognostic indicators of breast cancer]

Clinical stage and lymph node status are the strongest prognostic factors of patients with breast cancer. The estimation of the patient prognosis would be more accurate and more specific and effective therapy could be performed, if the indicators of biological properties of individual cancers are combined with these conventional factors. As indicators of such biological properties, we list a number of histopathological factors and molecular biomarkers, including specific gene and chromosome alterations. These factors provide knowledge not only about the biological aggressiveness of breast cancer cells but also concerning the pattern of preferential metastasis sites and sensitivity to specific therapies.