With the incidence of breast cancer steadily rising, it is important to explore novel technologies that can allow for earlier detection of disease as well more a personalized and effective treatment approach. The concept of “liquid biopsies” and the data they provide have been increasingly studied in the recent decades. More specifically, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a potential biomarker for various cancers, including breast cancer. While methods such as mammography and tissue biopsies are the current standards for the detection and surveillance of breast cancer, ctDNA analysis has shown some promise. This review discusses the versatility of ctDNA by exploring its multiple emerging uses for the management of breast cancer. Its efficacy is also compared to current biomarkers and technologies.

W omen's sports are on the rise, with an increase in enthusiasts, viewers, and, most importantly, participants. Female athletics has made remarkable strides, gaining traction with media coverage and with professional sports associations implementing increased salaries to their athletes. With the women's sports world ascending, the number of female athletes finding a passion in sport is swiftly growing. From 2017 to 2018, a total of 216,378 female athletes competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), making up 44 percent of the student-athlete body nationwide. Women's teams tallied 54 percent of NCAA teams in the country 1 . However, with an increase in female participants in athletics, this indubitably opens the discussion of macromastia and its consequences within this population.Macromastia is an issue for many women and is associated with a variety of complaints, such as musculoskeletal pain, 2 as well as psychosocial effects, including depression and decreased self-esteem. 3 Macromastia and its effects are well known to female athletes. This may subsequently discourage women from participating in sports. For those who decide to pursue sports regardless of their symptomatology due to macromastia, important questions arise. Do female athletes with macromastia experience a reduction in functionality and performance compared with female athletes without macromastia? If so, what role can reduction mammoplasty play in this population?Reduction mammaplasty has been shown to ameliorate symptoms related to macromastia. 2,4 Studies have evaluated the relief of symptoms in macromastia patients following reduction mammaplasty. Many studies report improvement in discomfort and pain postoperatively. 2 One study focused on pulmonary function before and after reduction mammaplasty. Maximum voluntary ventilation, peak expiratory flow rate, and inspiratory capacity were significantly improved postoperatively. In addition, per analysis of preoperative and postoperative patient questionnaires, subjective findings, such as shortness of breath, were noted to improve. 4 With this, it is important to evaluate whether reduction mammaplasty in female athletes would result in improved objective performance within distinct sports. Specific training tests could be administered before and after reduction mammaplasty, such as sprint, jump, agility, and endurance tests, to assess for statistically significant differences in the functionality and performance of the athlete.Macromastia can affect an athlete at any level of sport; however, it is worth noting its effects on elitelevel female athletes. A 2018 study reported that elitelevel female athletes encounter contact breast injuries appreciably more often in those athletes with larger breasts or greater body mass index, as well as in contact sports. It found that 21 percent of participants who sustained an injury to the breast perceived that it had a negative impact on their athletic performance. Many of these athletes reported altering their physical movements to avoid...

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