Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and pathologists have evolved a system of classification that reflects this heterogeneity as well as provide prognostic and predictive information to manage patients. Professor Azzopardi's contribution to understanding and classifying breast disease is significant and reflected by the many articles in this issue. Nonetheless, there are limitations to the morphologic classification and new molecular methods promise to refine the biological understanding as well as provide better biomarkers for prognostication and targets for the development of novel therapeutics. The degree to which the new methods add value to the morphology remains to be seen, but there is hope that a symbiosis between morphology and molecular techniques will advance traditional histopathology and improve the care of patients with breast cancer.
aUniversity of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
bThe Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
cSchool of Medicine, The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
dPathology Queensland, The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Address reprint requests and correspondence: Jorge S. Reis-Filho, MD, PhD, FRCPath, The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Research, 237 Fulham Rd, London SW3 6JB UK
Sunil R. Lakhani, BSc, MBBS, FRCPath, FRCPA, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Level 6 Building 71/918, University of Queensland, The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston 4029, Brisbane, QLD, Australia