Precision Medicine for Breast Cancer: The Paths to Truly Individualized Diagnosis and Treatment

• Published in: International journal of breast cancer Vol. 2018; no. 2018; pp. 1 - 8
• Main Author: Harris, Eleanor E. R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2018; Hindawi; Hindawi Limited; Wiley
• Subjects: Biology; Body mass index; Breast cancer; Cancer therapies; Care and treatment; Clinical trials; Consortia; Development and progression; Diagnosis; Disease; Health risk assessment; Mammography; Medical research; Molecular biology; Oncology; Patients; Population; Precision medicine; Radiation (Physics); Radiation therapy; Radiology; Radiotherapy; Review; Studies; Surgery; Surveillance; Taxonomy; Tumors; United States
• ISSN: 2090-3170; 2090-3189; 2090-3189
• DOI: 10.1155/2018/4809183

Precision medicine in oncology seeks to individualize each patient’s treatment regimen based on an accurate assessment of the risk of recurrence or progression of that person’s cancer. Precision will be achieved at each phase of care, from detection to diagnosis to surgery, systemic therapy, and radiation therapy, to survivorship and follow-up care. The precision arises from detailed knowledge of the inherent biological propensities of each tumor, rather than generalizing treatment approaches based on phenotypic, or even genotypic, categories. Extensive research is being conducted in multiple disciplines, including radiology, pathology, molecular biology, and surgical, medical, and radiation oncology. Clinical trial design is adapting to the new paradigms and moving away from grouping heterogeneous patient populations into limited treatment comparison arms. This review touches on several areas invested in clinical research. This special issue highlights the specific work of a number of groups working on precision medicine for breast cancer.