Development of Predictive Biomarkers and Novel Approached to Therapy in Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a common malignancy world-wide, and is the commonest female malignancy in Singapore, with rising trends in incidence over the last 2 decades. While there have been improvements in treatment, mortality from breast cancer remains significant. Development of biomarkers to predict treatment response and toxicity to anti-cancer agents can rationalize the choice of therapy for the individual patients to optimize treatment outcome and to reduce unnecessary toxicities. Development of novel therapies or novel approaches to therapy is also critical to improve the treatment armamentarium in breast cancer. These research strategies will have an significant impact on breast cancer treatment both in Singapore as well as globally.