Taxanes are widely used in the treatment of breast cancer, although there are currently no validated predictive markers for taxane responsiveness. While the mechanism by which taxanes induce mitotic arrest is well documented, the signaling pathway that links mitotic arrest to cell death, is ill-defined. As described herein, the BH3-only protein Bad and Bik are prognostic indicators for overall survival after adjuvant taxane chemotherapy and a predictive marker for taxane responsiveness.
