An update on the pathological classification of breast cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease, encompassing a diverse spectrum of tumours with varying morphological, biological, and clinical phenotypes. Although tumours may show phenotypic overlap, they often display different biological behaviour and response to therapy. Advances in high‐throughput molecular techniques and bioinformatics have contributed to improved understanding of BC biology and refinement of molecular taxonomy with the identification of specific molecular subclasses. Although the traditional pathological morphological classification of BC is of paramount importance and provides diagnostic and prognostic information, current interest focusses on the use of a single gene and multigene assays to stratify BC into distinct groups to guide decisions on systemic therapy. This review considers approaches to the classification of BC, including their limitations, and with particular emphasis on the fundamental role of morphology in establishing an accurate diagnosis of primary invasive carcinoma of breast origin. This forms the basis for further morphological characterization and for all other approaches to BC classification that are used to provide prognostic and therapeutic predictive information.

Annual Review Issue: Breast Pathology

“…Diagnostic, prognostic and predictive classification of breast cancer is of paramount importance. In this issue, Professor Emad Rakha and colleagues 2 provide an update on the pathological classification of breast cancer, including its evolution and limitations with particular emphasis on the fundamental role of morphology in establishing an accurate diagnosis of primary invasive carcinoma of breast origin.…”

BRCA Mutations and MicroRNA Expression Patterns in the Peripheral Blood of Breast Cancer Patients

“…Currently, the classification and assessment of BC primarily rely on tumor staging, grading, and several molecular biomarkers, including estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and K i -67 (a proliferation marker). Based on the expression of these markers, BC is categorized into four primary subtypes, each with distinct prognoses and outcomes: luminal A (ER+, PR+, HER2–, low K i -67), luminal B (ER+, PR±, HER2±, high K i -67), HER2 overexpression (ER–, PR–, HER2+), and triple-negative (TNBC/ER–, PR–, HER2−) . Around 40–50% of BCs are of the Luminal A subtype, while Luminal B, HER2 overexpression, and triple-negative frequencies are approximately 20–30, 15–20, and 10–20%, respectively .…”

The anti‐breast cancer potential of indole/isatin hybrids

“…Breast cancer (BC) encompasses a broad type of tumor with varied biological, clinical, and morphological characteristics and is one of the most aggressive types of diseases causing serious health issues. [1,2] As the most invasive and major contributor to deaths among women, BC accounted for about 2.3 million new diagnoses in 2020 and 684,996 deaths. [3,4] Chemotherapy is essential for BC therapy, and advances in chemotherapy options have resulted in higher overall survival (OS) rates.…”