Abstract

RAMIREZ, Guillermo. Genetic predictors in mammary cancer. Importance of the 21 gene test in the prediction of recurence rates and indication for chemotherapy. rev. colomb. cir. [online]. 2010, vol.25, n.4, pp.300-308. ISSN 2011-7582.

Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer in women around the world. In Colombia it is the most common malignancy in women. Although its incidence has increased in the last decades, the mortality has decrease somewhat or remained stable. Despite the progress observed in the surgical management, where the same results were obtained with less surgical mutilating procedures, in the treatment with radiotherapy with less adverse side effects and the advances with chemotherapy, we still lack the ability to predict which patients will recur and which patients will benefit from adjuvant treatments. In the past, we have relied on established paradigms as the size and grade of the tumors, the patient’s age, the presence of hormone receptors and the involvement of the lymph nodes. However, the discovery of different subtypes of breast tumors has shown that breast carcinoma is not a sole entity and that therapy should be individualized, because in some cases we may be under treating while in others we may be treating patients unnecessarily. We present many of the available genetic tests which predict the percentage of recurrence and tell us which patients may or may not benefit from chemotherapy.

Keywords : breast neoplasms; genetic testing; chemotherapy; adjuvant; receptors; estrogen; prognosis.

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