Systematic Review of the Use of Biomarkers in Early Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Early detection of breast cancer improves prognosis. Unfortunately, in many instances patients' tumours are diagnosed following metastasis, thus making treatment more difficult and worsening their prognosis. The development of a specific biomarker for the early detection of breast cancer could potentially allow more women to be successfully treated yet at present there no validated biomarkers available. Only a few biomarkers (such as HER-2/neu, estrogen receptor, and progesterone receptor) have a limited utility for diagnosis and prognosis. Thus, there is a great need for new biomarkers for breast cancer. Here we review the current state of the art relative to the use of biomarkers in early breast cancer screening and diagnosis.