Current status of the prognostic molecular biomarkers in breast cancer: A systematic review

Abstract

Biomarkers that facilitate the prediction of breast cancer prognosis can improve the quality of life in patients during the long period of illness and treatment. Particularly in recent years, with the advent of a more exhaustive analysis of genetic information and gene products, the molecular mechanisms at play during breast cancer have gradually become clearer. In the present study, a systematic review of the literature between 2009 and 2014 was conducted by searching for the keywords 'breast cancer', 'biomarkers', 'diagnosis', 'prognosis' and 'drug response' to clarify the present state of knowledge regarding biomarkers. In the final analysis, 16 studies on biomarkers for the breast cancer prognosis were retrieved. From these, 7 biomarkers in 9 studies were found to be strongly reliable predictors of prognosis and a further 7 biomarkers in 7 studies were poorly reliable. The use of these prognostic biomarkers should increase the options available for treatment algorithms.

Keywords: biomarkers; breast cancer; diagnosis; drug response; prognosis.

Figures

Figure 1.

Flow chart of search history. PubMed searches were conducted. A total of 16 studies were selected according to the inclusion criteria of the present study.