Farid Moinfar - Unit of Breast and Gynecologic Pathology, Department of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, Austria

This review deals with studies that have used cDNA microarrays and immunohistochemistry to identify a subtype of breast carcinoma recently known as basal-like carcinoma. The keybreast carcinoma studies are critically discussed to highlight methodological problems in cohort selection, definitions, interpretation of results, and statistical analysis. It concludes that basal-like carcinomas do not reflect a single, biologically uniform group of breast cancers and show significantvariations in their phenotypes, grades, immunoprofiles, and clinical behavior, just as a wide rangeof subtypes and behaviors is observed among epithelial/luminal-derived breast carcinomas. Welldesigned studies with comparison of low grade non-basal versus low grade basal and high grade non-basal versus high grade basal carcinomas are necessary before one can be convinced that this subtype represents a distinct clinicopathologic entity.

Breast cancer, Basal-like carcinoma, Microarray Analysis, Molecular, Classification Tumors, Immunohistochemistry