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Breast Cancer

BRCA1, a Potential Predictive Biomarker in the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Key Words. BRCA1 • Breast cancer • Chemotherapy • Prognosis • Predictive marker • Sensitivity • Resistance

Correspondence: Professor D. Paul Harkin, Ph.D., Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen’s University Belfast, University Floor, Belfast City Hospital, Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7AB, Northern Ireland, U.K. Telephone: (+44)289032 9241; Fax: (+44)289026 3744; e-mail: d.harkin{at}qub.ac.uk

To date, estrogen receptor, progestogen receptor, and HER2/neu represent molecular biomarkers currently used in routine clinical practice to aid treatment decisions. Over the last few years, a large body of preclinical and retrospective clinical data has accumulated that suggests that BRCA1 mutation functions as a novel predictive marker of response to chemotherapy. This article reviews the role of BRCA1 as a predictive marker of chemotherapy response in breast cancer and examines the link between BRCA1 deficiency and the basal-like phenotype.

Search strategy. Data for this article were identified through MEDLINE and PubMed searches for published reports using the terms BRCA1, breast cancer, basal-like, chemotherapy, prognosis, and predictive markers. In some cases, due to the restriction of space, readers are referred to review articles to allow further reading. Only articles published in English were included.

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