Biomarkers: Predicting treatment responses and working to improve outcomes

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The future of cancer treatment includes precision medicine. Thanks to advances in biomarker research, physicians can better match patients with treatments designed to target their specific cancers.

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What are biomarkers?

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Biomarkers act like signposts. They are features of a cancer cell that tell researchers and physicians how cancer might grow and may respond to treatment. Examples of biomarkers include a mutated gene or an overexpressed protein.

For example, mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene can increase the risk of developing certain cancers, while elevated levels of the HER2 protein may suggest a more aggressive cancer but may also indicate sensitivity to targeted therapies.

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Reshaping cancer treatment

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Biomarkers play a central role in designing individualized cancer treatment strategies. In some cases, biomarkers may provide information to help:

Identify cancer subtypes and possible outcomes
Predict whether a patient’s cancer will respond to a specific treatment
Monitor how well a treatment is working

Biomarker testing has become a part of treatment for a wide range of cancer types, including lung, prostate, skin, colorectal, and breast cancers.

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Transforming cancer research

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Biomarkers are not only changing how current treatments are used to manage cancer, they are also changing how new medicines are discovered. Researchers can now target tumors that have a specific molecular feature (like HER2), which may include multiple types of cancer.

Biomarkers can also identify potential gaps in treatment. If a specific biomarker with no available treatment is widely detected across tumor types, it can prompt additional exploration around that particular biomarker. These patterns and connections help fuel new discoveries.

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Know your risk

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For people with a family history of cancer, biomarker testing may help uncover inherited genes that might impact a person’s cancer risk. Talk to your doctor about the potential benefits and risks of genetic testing.