International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Recent Discoveries of Macromolecule- and Cell-Based Biomarkers and Therapeutic Implications in Breast Cancer Hsing-Ju Wu 1,2,3 and Pei-Yi Chu 4,5,6,7,* 1 Department of Biology, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua 500, Taiwan;
[email protected] 2 Research Assistant Center, Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Changhua 500, Taiwan 3 Department of Medical Research, Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Lukang Town, Changhua County 505, Taiwan 4 School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 231, Taiwan 5 Department of Pathology, Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, No. 542, Sec. 1 Chung-Shan Rd., Changhua 500, Taiwan 6 Department of Health Food, Chung Chou University of Science and Technology, Changhua 510, Taiwan 7 National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan 704, Taiwan * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +886-975-611-855; Fax: +886-4-7227-116 Abstract: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer type and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women worldwide. Breast cancer is fairly heterogeneous and reveals six molecular subtypes: luminal A, luminal B, HER2+, basal-like subtype (ER−, PR−, and HER2−), normal breast-like, and claudin-low. Breast cancer screening and early diagnosis play critical roles in improving therapeutic outcomes and prognosis. Mammography is currently the main commercially available detection method for breast cancer; however, it has numerous limitations. Therefore, reliable noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are required. Biomarkers used in cancer range from macromolecules, such as DNA, RNA, and proteins, to whole cells.