Nurse Researcher’s Role in Breast Cancer Biomarkers

A cancer biomarker refers to a substance or process that is indicative of the presence of cancer in the body. A biomarker may be a molecule secreted by a tumor or a specific response of the body to the presence of cancer. Genetic, epigenetic, proteomic, glycomic, and imaging biomarkers can be used for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and epidemiology. Ideally, such biomarkers can be assayed in non-invasively collected bio fluids like blood or serum. The premise of nursing assessment is the same as that of biomarker use - biological variables that appear at one level of biological organization eg, molecule, organelle, cell, tissue, organ, and organism correspond to processes or events occurring at other levels of biologic organization. The advent of genomic technologies has logarithmically increased the volume of biomarkers, which are expected to provide new insights that improve patient care. This review article focus on the breast cancer nurses role in biomarkers which in turn has a very big research gap in order to draw an evidence based practice. Biomarkers in breast cancer include Tissue Predictive Biomarkers and Predictive Biomarkers in Body Fluids.