Techniques and Methodological Approaches in Breast Cancer Research

This volume explores the myriad of techniques and methodological approaches that are being used in breast cancer research. The authors critically evaluate of the advantages and disadvantages of current methodologies, starting with the tools available for understanding the architecture of the human breast, including its tissue and cellular composition. The volume discusses the importance of functional studies in breast cancer research, especially with the help of laser capture microdissection, which allows the separation of small amounts of tissue, as well as specific cells, for biochemical analysis. In addition, the authors address methodologies including stem cell separation, which has helped in significantly understanding their role in normal breast development, but also further the understanding of breast cancer and its therapeutic management. The use of in vitro techniques and established cell lines for mechanistic studies in chemotherapeutic approaches have been invaluable will be discussed. Imaging techniques for evaluating in vitro and in vivo behavior of normal and cancerous breast tissue will be explored, as it provides a better understanding of the physiopathology of cancer. The volume will also discuss the molecular analysis of gene function in breast cancer through the transcriptomic and epigenomic profile. More importantly, the advancement of more refined techniques in sequencing will be covered. This monograph will be a comprehensive, authoritative and timely, as it addresses the emerging approaches used in breast cancer research.