Test Spares Extended Endocrine Therapy In Low-Risk ER+ Breast Cancer

CHICAGO—A gene test that predicts for relapse in women with estrogen receptor positive early breast cancer can identify patients with low-risk disease who could safely avoid extending their endocrine therapy beyond the standard five years, according to study findings reported in a poster session at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Co-author Graham M Poage PhD, a scientist with the Biotheranostics Company based in La Jolla, California tells the Audio Journal of Oncology about the “Breast Cancer Index” (BCI) test—a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) 11-gene assay—was an endocrine-therapy decision-making tool that had identified very low risk—patients who had 20-year breast cancer specific survival of 98 per cent—a significant proportion of patients who, potentially, could be spared extended endocrine therapy because their risk is so low that continued therapy is unlikely to benefit [them].