Breast Cancer Detection: Current Methods and Roadmap to Personalized Medicine

Breast cancer is characterized by uncontrolled growth of malignant cells in the mammary epithelial tissue. The etiology of breast cancer is poorly understood and in spite of substantial therapeutic advances, breast cancer treatment remains as an unsolved issue. Though few genetic markers for hereditary breast cancer have been identified, the etiology of sporadic breast cancer remains poorly understood. These demands for systematic and reliable approaches to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease and identify biomarkers for better prediction of prognosis, and response to therapies. In this mini review, we highlight conventional methods used for breast cancer diagnosis and significance of personalized medicine in the cancer treatment.