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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Breast cancer patients who might not benefit from chemotherapy may one day be spared the physically and emotionally draining treatment, thanks to a new test.
Researchers from Belgium and the Netherlands report the test can accurately assess breast cancer patients' risk of recurrence -- or even death -- by examining the expression of 70 genes linked to breast cancer. These genes make up a genetic signature, which can be used to predict how severe a patient's breast cancer is.
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A potential use for this test would be to determine which patients truly need chemotherapy, while others could be spared.
The researchers write that previous research identified 231 genes, but that number has been lowered to the core group of 70, which delivers test results that are faster and more accurately.
To prove this newer method's effectiveness, scientists assigned 307 patients into either high-risk or low-risk groups based on scores from the 70-gene signature and with traditional risk assessment using Adjuvant Online! software. Researchers followed the patients for 13 years and evaluated them for both disease and recurrent death.
The researchers report the 70-gene signature proved to be a more accurate predictor of disease than the more traditional software. It will be tested in a larger study coordinated by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer.
The researchers write that if this test is validated, it has the potential to spare one in six women the burden of chemotherapy.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 98, No. 17, Sept. 6,2006
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