Study Backs Test In Identifying Breast Cancer Patients Who Can Avoid Chemo
(CBS) – A test reveals which breast cancer patients can safely avoid the rigors of chemotherapy, and a local oncologist played a major role.
CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports.
Ann Louise Puopolo was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer five years ago. Doctors suggested she have a gene activity test to assess the risk of whether her cancer would come back.
Now, a new study shows that very test accurately identifies many women with early-stage cancer who can safely skip chemotherapy.
"This is a big shift in what we used to do," says Dr. Kathy Albain of Loyola University Medical Center.
Albain is one of the co-authors of the ground-breaking clinical trial. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study involved more than 10,000 women, including 41 at Loyola.
As the test predicted, after five years, 99 percent of women who avoided chemo had no recurrence of cancer.
"That is an incredibly good statistic to learn when you've just been told you've got breast cancer," Albain says.
The test told Puopolo she could avoid chemo, which was a huge relief to her.
The test is readily available, and it's covered by both private insurance and Medicare.