Widely regarded as the next frontier of medical advances, the promise of individual medicine becomes real because of advances in understanding the molecular basis of Diseases such as breast cancer. Scientists can now develop therapies tailored to the individual's genetic profile, as well as experiments to predict how a patient will respond to existing treatments.
Today, some women with newborn breast cancer and their doctors can make informed medical decisions about the Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Assay. This service provides a lot of information about genes from a woman's genitals to produce a Recurrent Scale between zero and 100, indicating that she is at high, medium or low risk for her cancer to return after treatment.
Oncotype DX is intended for patients with node-negative breast cancer, estrogen receptor-positive, that may be treated with hormone therapy. About half of the 230,000 patients diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States each year fall into this category, and are often offered chemotherapy, the most commonly used treatment with the most side effects. Medical research shows that chemotherapy has improved patient survival rates in only 4 out of 100 patients, yet thousands of women continue to choose this expensive and toxic treatment with only limited information about how to respond.
Recent research has shown that women with high recurrence rates are more likely to benefit from chemotherapy, while women with lower scores get only a small benefit. In addition, only 25% of women fall into the high-risk group, compared to 50% in the low-risk group, indicating that this standard treatment is not appropriate for every patient.
Elizabeth Sloan of New York City is one of the many patients with breast cancer who may not be able to respond to chemotherapy. A diligent mother with two young sons, Elizabeth was considering having another child when she was found to be only 40 years old. He wanted to avoid chemotherapy, with its negative side effects, temporary and potentially long-term side effects, but he also wanted to be absolutely sure that it would not help him.
Working with her doctor, Ruth ORATZ M.D., at NYU Medical Center, Elizabeth decided to undergo an Oncotype DX test, and was delighted when her Recurrence Score came to the forefront showing that she may not have much benefit from chemotherapy.
“No two women with breast cancer are exactly the same. The Oncotype DX provides information beyond the usual measures, such as age, tumor size and stage of the tumor, in determining the likelihood of recurrence of the disease, ” said Dr. Oratz. "The Oncotype DX made Elizabeth and I add confidence and peace of mind to choosing the most appropriate treatment."
For Susan Bakken of Denver, Colorado, the Oncotype DX provided a different kind of peace of mind. Susan's Recurrence Score has shown that she has a high risk of recurrence of cancer, and she will probably benefit greatly from chemotherapy — much to the surprise of both her and her doctor.
“Based on some of my tests, my doctor said that he would not recommend chemotherapy in any other way. I was shocked when I got my result, but I was very happy because I believe this test saved my life, ” Susan explained.
Elizabeth Sloan is also grateful for the information she received from Oncotype DX. “Not all cancers are the same, so why treat everyone the same way with something so toxic?” he said. "It's remarkable that in the end, doctors are able to differentiate one human from another - thank you very much."
Oncotype DX is a simple test that can only be prescribed by a doctor. It is performed on a small number of breast tissue removed during normal lumpectomy surgery, mastectomy or biopsy, meaning no further procedure is required.
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