Utility of prognostic markers in management of breast cancer

Breast cancer is a disease which is surrounded by mystery. The last century has seen the “invasions” of various biomarkers and their roles have been searched in various trials. The roles of these biomarkers were reviewed by extensive literature search (journals, text books and internet). This article deals with the classification of the available markers, the role of these markers as prognostic and predictive factors and tries to put forward the presently available evidences in order to validate or repute their roles in clinical practice. It could be observed that in spite of tremendous advances in technology, axillary nodal status still remains the single most important factor determining the treatment and outcome.