Role of monoclonal antibodies in the study of breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among women in western countries, where it represents about one third of tumors. Many laboratories utilized monoclonal antibodies technology for studying this pathology and for clinical applications. Different immunisation strategies have been utilized in the aim to produce monoclonal antibodies specific of mammary epithelial cells, of cancer cells or of cell secretions products. Despite efforts none of these are entirely specific, either for the normal tissue or for malignant tumors derived from it. However several of them had applications in fundamental study of oncogenesis and/or in tumor diagnostic, and in therapeutic assays. In this review we analysed described monoclonal antibodies, their reactive antigens and their applications.