Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents about 15% to 20% of all breast cancers and is typically associated with poorer outcome than other breast cancer subtypes. The heterogeneity of this breast cancer subtype and present lack of clinically established targeted therapies further complicates treatment of patients. The treatment of TNBC emphasizes enhancing health care and developing personalized medicine. To respond to this need, the researchers have turned their attention to a different approach to scientific enquiry: the era of "big biology" and the integrative study of biological systems, also called "Omics" technologies. The term omics comprises different fields of molecular studies and characterizes a global view on biological molecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins, and metabolites. Combined "omics" approach offers a major tool for the understanding of a challenging cancer model, TNBC. This review discusses the different discoveries made using omics technologies concerning the molecular mechanisms underlying TNBC phenotypic heterogeneity, and their potential transfer to clinical applications.
Keywords: Clinical applications; Epigenomics; Genomics; Proteomics; Transcriptomics; Triple-negative breast cancer.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.