Test Predicts Which Women Will Benefit From Chemo for Breast Cancer
A prediction test accurately identifies which women with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer will benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy, according to the results of a study published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10549-019-05226-8).
Researchers evaluated the EndoPredict test’s ability to predict chemotherapy benefit based on the 10-year distant recurrence rate in women with ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer who received five years of endocrine therapy alone or in combination with chemotherapy.
They analyzed data from 3,746 women (2,630 who received only endocrine therapy and 1,116 who received endocrine plus chemotherapy) and found that women with a high test score who received the combination treatment had significantly lower 10-year recurrence rates than those who received endocrine therapy alone. Women with low test scores showed no difference in recurrence rates between the two treatments.
The researchers said that the test will help clinicians personalize care for women with breast cancer and prevent overtreatment in women who are unlikely to benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. The test was included in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s latest guidelines for breast cancer.