During a metastatic progression of breast cancer (BC), and upon
application of various antineoplastic therapies, the initial status of biomarkers can be
altered. Awareness of changes in hormone receptors (HR) and human epidermal
growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is very important, because they may have an impact
on patient management. However, the procedures for monitoring these changes in
women with metastatic BC still remain unclear.
According to the guidelines for clinical practice from the American Society of
Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the reevaluation of metastatic BC lesions, is of great
importance, and it has been recommended that the biopsies of multiple metastatic
lesions need to be performed.
The aim of this chapter is to highlight the role of retesting receptor status in BC
metastases and the impact that this approach may have on the selection of therapeutic
strategies, in the individualized management plans for patients with metastatic BC.
In addition, this chapter concisely presents some novel biomarkers linked with targeted
therapies for metastatic BC.
Keywords: Biomarkers, Breast cancer (BC), Estrogen receptor (ER), Hormone receptors (HR), Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), Progesterone receptor (PR), Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), Targeted therapies, Tumor heterogeneity.
