Emerging Role of Genomics and Cell-Free DNA in Breast Cancer

Curr Treat Options Oncol. 2019 Jun 29;20(8):68. doi: 10.1007/s11864-019-0667-9.

Abstract

Precision Medicine is gaining momentum as the future gold standard healthcare strategy as it enables treatment optimization and consequently a potential improvement for quality of life and survival. This paradigm shift was possible thanks to new high-throughput genomics technologies, which provide prognostic and predictive information on tumor biology and potential treatment options, as standard pathological procedures are unable to capture both spatial and temporal tumor heterogeneity. As a result of decreasing costs, both solid and liquid-based genomics have an increasingly important role in clinical trials' screening procedures and are gradually being incorporated into clinical practice. Notwithstanding the great potential, its clinical utility is still a matter of debate and clinicians need to be aware of caveats in interpreting resulting data.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Breast cancer; Circulating tumor DNA; Precision medicine; Translational medicine.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers, Tumor*
  • Biopsy
  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Breast Neoplasms / therapy
  • Cell-Free Nucleic Acids*
  • Clinical Decision-Making
  • Disease Management
  • Female
  • Genomics* / methods
  • Humans
  • Liquid Biopsy
  • Mutation
  • Precision Medicine / methods
  • Precision Medicine / standards

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Cell-Free Nucleic Acids