Test spares low-risk breast cancer patients chemotherapy
- The test correctly identified 15% of study participants as being ultra-low risk
- Such patients had a strong prognosis after their initial cancer was treated
- The test could help doctors determine the best treatment course for patients
- Ultra-low risk patients over 75 may decide to opt for simply tumour removal
Alexandra Thompson Health Reporter For Mailonline
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A test pinpoints breast cancer patients with a low-risk of their tumor returning, allowing them to avoid aggressive treatments, new research reveals.
The test correctly identified 15 percent of the study’s participants as being of a low-risk of their cancer coming back.
Such patients had a strong prognosis after their initial treatment regardless of whether they were given additional therapy to prevent their tumor returning, the research adds.
Lead author Dr Laura Esserman from the University of California in San Francisco. said: ‘This is an important step forward for personalizing care for women with breast cancer.
‘We can now test small node-negative breast cancers, and if they are in the ultra-low risk category, we can tell women that they are highly unlikely to die of their cancers and do not need aggressive treatment, including radiation after lumpectomy.’
A test pinpoints breast cancer patients with a low-risk of their tumor returning (stock)
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ONE IN THREE WOMEN ARE AT RISK OF BREAST CANCER AFTER FAILING TO TAKE PREVENTATIVE PILLS
Thousands of women are giving up on pills to prevent breast cancer in the mistaken belief they are causing debilitating side effects, researchers warned earlier this month.
Tamoxifen is meant to be offered to women who have either had breast cancer or are at very high risk due to their family history.
The 6p a day pills have been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer occurring by 30 per cent and are prescribed for five years.
Yet a study led by Queen Mary University of London involving nearly 4,000 women found that a third of patients stop taking the pills before the recommended time.
This included 12 per cent who give up within 18 months, mostly in the belief that they are suffering severe side effects.
Intriguingly, the research also studied women who had taken placebos, who reported experiencing the same side effects as those on Tamoxifen.
Such side effects include hot flushes, nausea, sickness and some gynaecological symptoms.
How the study was carried out
Researchers from the University of California in San Francisco assessed the test, known as MammaPrint, over 20 years in 652 breast cancer patients.
They analyzed 1,780 patients whose cancer had not spread to their lymph nodes and whose tumors measured no more than 3cm in diameter.
After initial treatment, 311 patients were given a commonly prescribed drug to reduce the risk of secondary tumor formation, while 339 received no additional therapy.
All of the participant’s tumors were removed.
Key findings
Results revealed that the multigene test, which works off of tumor tissue samples, classified 15 percent of the study’s participants as being of ultra-low risk of their cancer returning.
Such women were later found to have a strong prognosis regardless of whether they received additional treatment to prevent secondary tumor formation.
The findings are published in the journal JAMA Oncology.
How the results can be used
The genetic test could be used by doctors to help determine patients’ optimal course of treatment, according to the researchers.
Among ultra-low risk women aged 75 or over, who may suffer with other conditions and are more at-risk of dying at any given time, simply tumor removal may be the best option, they add.
Dr Esserman said: ‘This is an important step forward for personalizing care for women with breast cancer.
‘We can now test small node-negative breast cancers, and if they are in the ultra-low risk category, we can tell women that they are highly unlikely to die of their cancers and do not need aggressive treatment, including radiation after lumpectomy.
‘This is an exciting advance because approximately 20-25 percent of tumors diagnosed today may be ultra-low risk.’
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