Toxicity, harsh side effects, and unpredictable effectiveness have been the hallmarks of anti-cancer therapies used in the past to treat breast and other primary cancers. More recently, targeted therapies have been developed to reduce patient risk and significantly improve patient outcomes.
"A predictive marker can be defined as a factor that indicates sensitivity or resistance to a specific treatment."1 Not all cancers respond the same to a particular therapy; consequently, not all patients will be helped by the same therapy. Patient safety is enhanced when determining whether the patient will benefit before treatment. Utilization of predictive markers has improved patient quality of life and reduced morbidity and mortality.
1. Duffy M. J. (2005). Predictive markers in breast and other cancers: a review. Clinical chemistry, 51(3), 494–503. https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2004.046227
