Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Biomarkers

A biomarker is a substance in a person’s blood, urine, or other body fluids. It can also be found in or on the tumor. A biomarker, sometimes called a tumor marker, is made by the tumor or by the body in response to the cancer. Biomarkers help doctors learn more about each person’s cancer so they can recommend the best treatment options for each patient. The success of breast cancer therapy is ultimately defined by clinical endpoints such as survival. It is valuable to have biomarkers that can predict the most efficacious therapies or measure response to therapy early in the course of treatment. Molecular imaging has a promising role in complementing and overcoming some of the limitations of traditional biomarkers by providing the ability to perform noninvasive, repeatable whole-body assessments.