Breast Cancer: Nice Approves New Test

Thousands of women with breast cancer could be spared chemotherapy every year following the approval of a test for use on the NHS.

Almost 50,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK and most of these have the early-stage disease.

Studies have suggested that half of women with the most common form of early-stage breast cancer given the Oncotype DX test could be spared chemotherapy.

The test involves the examination of genes taken from a sample of a tumour removed during surgery to help doctors decide whether chemotherapy would actually benefit patients and reduce the risk of cancer returning.

Doctors will use the test, in combination with other information such as the size and grade of the tumour, to work out if chemotherapy could be beneficial.

A woman undergoes a mammogram to screen for breast cancer

Current evidence suggests some people are over or under-treated because of uncertainties about whether their cancer will actually spread.

Those with early-stage breast cancer face intensive treatment, with possible side effects including nausea, vomiting, insomnia, hair loss and fatigue.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has approved the Oncotype DX test for people with oestrogen receptor positive (ER+), lymph node negative (LN-) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) early breast cancer who are at intermediate risk of the cancer spreading.

Nice director Professor Carole Longson: "Breast cancer patients face significant emotional and psychological strain when considering chemotherapy.

"A test that can help to predict better the risk of the breast cancer spreading, and therefore the potential likely benefit of additional chemotherapy, represents a significant step forward for patients."

Some 15 studies on more than 6,000 patients worldwide have taken place using Oncotype DX.

The results show that around one third of treatment plans are changed as a result of the test.

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