Is chemo necessary after diagnosis? Test now available!
This test shows almost 1/3 of breast cancer patients didn’t need chemotherapy. Although this test is expensive, the cost completely outweighs the cost of chemotherapy- at an average of $10,000 PER CHEMO TREATMENT! This article was taken from medical news today.
A 21-gene test that predicts whether early stage breast cancer patients will benefit from chemotherapy is having a big impact on treatment decisions by patients and doctors alike.
The test caused doctors to change their treatment recommendations in 31.5 percent of cases, while 27 percent of patients changed their treatment decisions. In most such cases, the change by both doctors and patients was to avoid chemotherapy.
The multigene test, Oncotype DX®, is made by Genomic Health Inc. The test examines 21 genes from a tumor sample to determine how active they are. A test score between 0 and 100 predicts how likely the cancer is to recur. For women with low scores, chemotherapy is not recommended.
More than 120,000 breast cancer patients have undergone the test since it became commercially available in 2004. The test is intended for patients who have a type of breast cancer, called estrogen receptor-positive, that has not spread to the lymph nodes. About 100,000 such cases are diagnosed each year.
Doctors said the test increased their confidence in their treatment recommendations in 76 percent of cases. And in 97 percent of cases, doctors said they would order the test again.
After receiving test results, patients reported they were significantly less conflicted about their decision and felt significantly less anxiety about their situation.
The test costs $3,910, and generally is covered by insurance. Researchers said the test might lower overall costs by avoiding the expense of chemotherapy in some patients.
Source: Loyola University Health System
Full Article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175635.php