From Emory U: New Developments in Breast Cancer and Their Impact on Daily Practice in Pathology

Xiaoxian Li, Gabriela M. Oprea-Ilies, and Uma Krishnamurti (2017) New Developments in Breast Cancer and Their Impact on Daily Practice in Pathology. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine: April 2017, Vol. 141, No. 4, pp. 490-498.

SPECIAL SECTION—CONTRIBUTIONS FROM EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, PART II

New Developments in Breast Cancer and Their Impact on Daily Practice in Pathology

Xiaoxian Li, MD, PhD; Gabriela M. Oprea-Ilies, MD; Uma Krishnamurti, MD, PhD

From the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Gerogia.

Reprints: Xiaoxian Li, MD, PhD, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University, 1364 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA (email: xli40@emory.edu).

The authors have no relevant financial interest in the products or companies described in this article.

Advances in research have transformed our understanding of breast cancers and have altered the daily practice of pathology. Theranostic evaluations performed by pathologists are now critical in triaging the patients into appropriate treatment groups, as are new guidelines that were recently established for the evaluation of HER2/neu gene amplification. Emerging molecular classifications of breast cancers bring novel perspectives to the assessment of individual cases, and opportunities for better treatments. Molecular studies have particularly shed light on distinct biological subsets of triple-negative breast cancers, for which new targeted therapies are being developed. The prognostic and therapeutic utility of new histopathologic parameters, such as tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, are also being elucidated, and new protocols have been devised for the pathologic evaluation of breast specimens that have undergone neoadjuvant treatment. Novel clinical practices, such as radioactive seed localization, also affect the way breast specimens are processed and evaluated. In this brief review, we highlight the developments that are most relevant to pathology and are changing or could potentially impact our daily practice.