Traditionally, breast cancer (BC) is divided into different subtypes defined by immunohistochemistry
(IHC) according to the expression of hormone receptors and overexpression/amplification of human epidermal
growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), with crucial therapeutic implications. In the last few years, the definition of
different BC molecular subgroups within the IHC-defined subtypes and the identification of the important role
that molecular heterogeneity can play in tumor progression and treatment resistance have inspired the search for
personalized therapeutic approaches. In this scenario, translational research represents a key strategy to apply
knowledge from cancer biology to the clinical setting, through the study of all the tumors “omics”, including
genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenomics, and metabolomics. Importantly, the introduction of
new high-throughput technologies, such as next generation sequencing (NGS) for the study of cancer genome
and transcriptome, greatly amplifies the potential and the applications of translational research in the oncology
field. Moreover, the introduction of new experimental approaches, such as liquid biopsy, as well as new-concept
clinical trials, such as biomarker-driven adaptive studies, may represent a turning point for BC translational
research.
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It is likely that translational research will have in the near future a significant impact on BC care, especially by
giving us the possibility to dissect the complexity of tumor cell biology and develop new personalized treatment
strategies.
Breast Cancer Translational Research Center of Excellence FY12-14
