Genetic Test Identifies Which Breast Cancer Patients Can Avoid Chemotherapy

A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine might lead to a different course of action following a diagnosis of breast cancer. The study looked at the effectiveness of a genetic test called Oncotype DX.  The test looks for a number of genes in breast tissue that are cancer-related and gives a score, with a higher score (ranging from 0-100) indicating a greater risk for recurrence in breast cancer.

"The team found that around 99% of low-risk women treated with hormone therapy alone did not experience breast cancer recurrence within 5 years. What is more, the rate of invasive disease-free survival at 5 years was almost 94%, while the risk of cancer returning at a distant site was less than 1%."

While the study is still ongoing, these early results offer hope to women all over the world. The study shows that some methods of treatment can even be entirely hormone-based without fear or recurrence. If alternative treatments (such as the hormone therapy) can be used, a large portion of the risk of treatment related to chemotherapy would no longer be an issue.