Perspective Insight into Future Potential Fusion Gene Transcript Biomarker Candidates in Breast Cancer

Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Feb 7;19(2):502. doi: 10.3390/ijms19020502.

Abstract

Next generation sequencing has accelerated the discovery of a variety of new fusion gene types in clinical breast cancer samples by analyzing cancer genomes and transcriptomes. Although previous studies have focused on a few clinically validated oncogenic fusion genes as diagnostic and therapeutic targets in breast cancer, a perspective consideration has not been given thus far for a plethora of breast cancer fusion genes, which are being newly identified at an overwhelmingly increasing pace. In this perspective review, we discuss diverse fusion gene types recently identified in a variety of breast cancer subtypes, including breast clinical cancer samples in TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) database. This perspective review will confer fresh and promising guidance onto breast cancer surgeons, clinical oncologists, and tumor biologists in determining research directions for seeking and developing novel fusion gene biomarkers for breast cancer diagnostics and therapeutic treatment in upcoming years.

Keywords: biomarker; breast cancer; fusion gene transcript.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers, Tumor / genetics*
  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Breast Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Databases, Genetic
  • Female
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Humans
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / genetics
  • Oncogene Fusion / genetics*
  • Sequence Analysis, RNA

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor