Molecular subtypes and emerging therapeutic opportunities

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancers comprise a heterogeneous group of tumors with varying prognosis, but the majority are of high histological grade and have a poor prognosis. Although there is considerable overlap between triple-negative and basal-like breast cancers, the two are not synonymous. Triple-negative breast cancers also encompass other microarray-defined molecular subtypes, such as the molecular apocrine and claudin-low subtypes. Other subtypes may emerge through more detailed microarray-based and massively parallel sequencing analyses. The term triple-negative breast cancer is merely operational and is likely to be replaced by a predictive terminology, which will lead to a better utilization of available therapies and the introduction of targeted therapeutic agents for the management of patients with triple-negative disease. © 2011 Future Medicine Ltd. All rights reserved.