Breast cancer can skip chemotherapy if genome test 0-10

Breast cancer can skip chemotherapy if genome test 0-10

Breast cancer can skip chemotherapy if genome test 0-10. The breast cancer genome test result scores from 0 to 10, you can skip chemotherapy. Breast cancer gene sequencing can help formulate treatments and avoid chemotherapy.

The Oncotype DX test is a genomic test that analyzes the activity of a set of 21 genes from breast cancer tissue samples that can affect the possible behavior of cancer and response to treatment.

Doctors use the Oncotype DX test to help determine a woman’s risk of recurrence of early, estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, and her likelihood of receiving chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery.

In most early stages, estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes and is considered to have a low risk of recurrence. After surgery, hormone therapy such as aromatase inhibitors or tamoxifen can be used to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence in the future. For patients and their doctors, whether to conduct chemotherapy or not also needs to weigh the pros and cons. The Oncotype DX test aims to provide more information to help women and their doctors make chemotherapy decisions.

The Oncotype DX test results assign a recurrence score between 0 and 100 for early breast cancer. Depending on your age, you and your doctor can use the following ranges to explain the results of your early aggressive cancer.

For women over 50 years of age:

• Recurrence score 0-25: The risk of cancer recurrence is low. The benefits of chemotherapy may not outweigh the risks of side effects.
• Recurrence score of 26-100: The risk of cancer recurrence is high. The benefits of chemotherapy may outweigh the risks of side effects.

For women 50 years and younger:

•  Recurrence score 0-15: The risk of cancer recurrence is low. The benefits of chemotherapy may not outweigh the risks of side effects.
• Recurrence score of 16-20: The risk of cancer recurrence is low to moderate. The benefits of chemotherapy may not outweigh the risks of side effects.
• Recurrence score of 21-25: The cancer has a moderate risk of recurrence. The benefits of chemotherapy may outweigh the risks of side effects.
• Recurrence score of 26-100: The risk of cancer recurrence is high. The benefits of chemotherapy may outweigh the risks of side effects.

A prospective study showed that women with a recurrence score of 0 to 10 on the Oncotype DX test can only safely receive treatment with hormone therapy, which can avoid chemotherapy.

A prospective study follows a similar group of people who differ in the factors studied to understand how these factors affect the incidence of certain outcomes.

In the study called TAILORx (individualized choice for trial allocation of treatment), more than 10,000 women were diagnosed with early, hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer that has not spread to the lymph nodes. The researchers performed Oncotype DX textualization on tissue samples from all cancers, and then assigned Oncotype DX recurrence scores to all women:

• Women with a recurrence score of 0 to 10 were designated to receive hormone therapy alone (meaning they did not receive chemotherapy), and there were 1,626 women in this group (15.9% of women in the study)
•  Women with a recurrence score of 11 to 25 were randomly assigned to receive any of the following: (There were 6,897 women in this group; 67.3% of women participated in the study)

1. Chemotherapy plus hormone therapy
2. Use hormone therapy alone

• Women with a recurrence score of 26 or higher received chemotherapy plus hormone therapy. There were 1,730 women in this group (16.9% of women in the study)

Early studies have shown that women with a recurrence score of 10 or lower have good results after hormone therapy alone, and women with a recurrence score of 26 or higher can benefit from chemotherapy. These benefits outweigh the risk of side effects. It is not clear whether women with a recurrence score of 11-25 will benefit from chemotherapy, which is why the researchers randomly assigned this group of women to hormone therapy alone or hormone therapy plus chemotherapy.

Women with a recurrence score of 0 to 10 receive different types of hormone therapy:

• 59% of women take aromatase inhibitors
• 34% take tamoxifen
• 1% take tamoxifen first, then aromatase inhibitor
• 3% medication to prevent ovarian secretion of estrogen

After 5 years, less than 2% of women have cancer recurrence. The overall survival time, how many women live with or without cancer, is also 98%.

The researchers said that the results of the study provide the highest level of evidence that Oncotype DX recurrence scores of 0 to 10 indicate that these women can safely avoid chemotherapy.

“The convincing results seen in this global study provide clear evidence to support the clinical utility of Oncotype DX for risk stratification of patients with early breast cancer, and show that the results of the study can be extended to daily clinical practice. “Joseph A. Sparano, MD, said, “This is the first prospective clinical trial to evaluate the trial, based on its analysis results for the unified treatment of early breast cancer patients.”

Researchers will continue to focus on the women in the study to determine whether women with a recurrence score of 11 to 25 can also skip chemotherapy or benefit from it.

“For those seeking to confirm the test and identify a group of patients who should not be treated with chemotherapy, this result is both reassuring and frustrating,” said Dr. Clifford Hudis. “For patients in the new’low risk’ group, this is clearly helpful.”

If you have been diagnosed with early hormone receptor-positive breast cancer and are weighing the advantages and disadvantages of adding chemotherapy to your treatment plan, the Oncotype DX test can help you and your doctor make this decision.

(source:chinanet, reference only)

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