I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. I heard that gene expression profiling testing might help me choose a treatment option. What kind of test is this?
Dr. Sandhya Pruthi of the Mayo Clinic answers this question.
gene expression profiling tests (Oncotype DX, MammaPrint, etc.) can analyze a variety of different genes in cancer cells to predict the risk of cancer recurrence. The results of the
gene expression profiling test can help doctors determine who may benefit from adjuvant adjuvant treatment after surgery. For patients with hormone-sensitive early-stage breast cancer, gene expression profiling can be used to determine whether they will benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.
If all of the standard factors doctors use to predict your risk of cancer recurrence show that your risk is low, there is no need for gene expression profiling testing. If you have a highly aggressive cancer that would clearly benefit from chemotherapy, these tests won't be very helpful either. For cancers between these two types, gene expression profiling testing is particularly useful when decisions need to be made about whether to use chemotherapy.
There are currently several gene expression profile detection methods, many of which are in the clinical trial research stage. Doctors also need to determine how to best use these tests and interpret the results. A recent study by
found that chemotherapy may not be helpful for women whose gene expression profiling results indicate an intermediate risk of recurrence. In the study, some women received hormone therapy and chemotherapy after surgery, and some women received only hormone therapy.
Survival rates were similar in both groups, suggesting that chemotherapy is not necessary for most women. Chemotherapy is beneficial for women who are 50 years old and whose gene test score is at the upper-middle level. The study's results only apply to women with intermediate Oncotype DX test scores and whose tumors are hormone-sensitive, HER2-negative and have not spread to lymph nodes .
Before conducting gene expression profiling testing, please ask your doctor about the pros and cons of the test. These tests can be expensive, and some tests are not covered by insurance.
