Clinical research in the field of breast cancer: Current situation and outlook [La recherche clinique dans le domaine du cancer du sein: état des lieux et perspectives]

摘要

Classification according to different biological features into subtypes has made breast cancer an increasingly complex and heterogeneous disease. With an estimated over 45,000 new breast cancer cases diagnosed in France every year, efforts in breast cancer research are focused, at both population and individual levels, on developing new risk assessment and treatment strategies that will reduce morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. A better understanding of tumour/host biology has led to improvements in the multidisciplinary management of breast cancer, and traditional pathological evaluation is being complemented by more sophisticated genomic approaches. All these new parameters clearly influence clinical research strategies. The authors have tried to reveal the general philosophy of these strategies and their links with the various different biological and clinical situations.