Breast Cancer: Test Reveals Who Can Skip Chemo After Surgery

FRIDAY, Dec. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A familial trial tin place older breast cancer patients who tin forgo chemotherapy aft surgery, adjacent if the crab has dispersed to adjacent lymph nodes, a ample planetary objective proceedings shows.

"For decades, women with bosom crab that had dispersed to the axillary [armpit] lymph nodes were treated with chemotherapy aft surgery, to trim the hazard of recurrence," explained Dr. Francisco Estreva, main of bosom aesculapian oncology astatine Lenox Hill Hospital successful New York City.

However, the findings suggest that post-op chemo mightiness not beryllium needed for each patients, truthful the survey "represents a paradigm displacement successful aesculapian oncology," said Estreva, who wasn't progressive successful the caller research.

The survey was led by Dr. Kevin Kalinsky, a SWOG researcher and a bosom medical oncologist astatine the Winship Cancer Institute astatine Emory University successful Atlanta. SWOG is simply a crab objective trials radical funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute. The findings were published Dec. 1 successful the New England Journal of Medicine.

The survey was conducted astatine 632 sites successful 9 countries and included much than 5,000 women with HR+, HER2- bosom crab that had dispersed to arsenic galore arsenic 3 lymph nodes.

HR+ means that the bosom tumor contains hormone receptors (HR) that marque it delicate to hormones specified arsenic estrogen. A bulk of bosom cancers are HR+. HER2 is abbreviated for "human epidermal maturation origin receptor 2," which plays a relation successful however rapidly bosom crab cells multiply. Tumors that are antagonistic for HER2 are deemed little assertive than HER2+ tumors.

According to the survey authors, successful astir one-third of HR+, HER2- bosom crab patients crab has already dispersed to their lymph nodes astatine the clip of diagnosis. These women person a higher hazard of cancer recurrence aft treatment.

But bash they each request chemotherapy? To assistance find out, the HR+/HER2- tumors of women enrolled successful the survey were tested for the look of 21 genes successful tumor insubstantial to measure their hazard of a bosom crab recurrence. The trial utilized is called the Oncotype DX multi-gene test.

All of the women had a cistron recurrence people (RS) of 25 oregon little connected a 0-100 scale, indicating a debased oregon intermediate hazard of recurrence, Kalinsky's squad found.

After country for their cancer, fractional of the women underwent chemotherapy followed by endocrine (hormonal) therapy, portion the different fractional received endocrine therapy alone.

Five years aft treatment, determination were nary clinically applicable oregon statistically important differences betwixt the 2 groups successful either their rates of a recurrence of their bosom crab oregon immoderate caller invasive superior cancer.

However, determination was a wide quality erstwhile they focused lone connected younger, premenopausal women, who accounted for astir a 3rd of the patients. In that radical of women, those who received chemotherapy positive endocrine therapy had a 40% higher likelihood for a caller superior crab compared to those who received endocrine therapy alone.

In contrast, chemotherapy provided nary further benefits for postmenopausal women, according to the study.

In premenopausal patients, five-year crab recurrence rates were 89% for women who received endocrine therapy unsocial vs. 93.9% for those who received chemotherapy and endocrine therapy. In postmenopausal patients, five-year recurrence rates were 91.9% percent vs. 91.3%, a quality that was not statistically significant, Kalinsky's radical said.

“These are clinically meaningful and impactful data,” Kalinsky said successful a SWOG quality release.

The uncovering that postmenopausal women with immoderate dispersed of crab to their lymph nodes and a debased gene-based hazard people tin skip post-surgical chemotherapy is bully news, helium added.

"This volition prevention tens of thousands of women the time, disbursal and perchance harmful broadside effects that tin beryllium associated with chemotherapy," Kalinsky said.

On the different hand, premenopausal patients with lymph node engagement and debased hazard scores "likely payment from chemotherapy," helium said.

Estreva agreed.

"Based connected the results from this study, a important fig of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor affirmative bosom crab and lymph node engagement [up to 3 affirmative lymph nodes] whitethorn beryllium spared chemotherapy utilizing the Oncotype DX multi-gene test," helium said. "This is simply a large beforehand successful our efforts to personalize bosom crab attraction utilizing molecular assays to amended specify prognosis and foretell imaginable payment from circumstantial therapies successful idiosyncratic patients."

Results from further investigation of the proceedings volition besides beryllium presented astatine the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium connected Dec. 8.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has much connected breast cancer.

SOURCES: Francisco Estreva, MD, Chief, bosom aesculapian oncology, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; SWOG, quality release, Dec. 1, 2021