Find out cheap if breast cancer tumour will return

London Scientists have devised a new, cheapbreast cancer test that can accurately predict if a tumour islikely to return after surgery, a reakthrough they say couldspare thousands of women the ordeal of chemotherapy.The test, likely to cost about 120 pounds (Rs 10,500) and
expected to be available by the year end, uses a technologyalready available in almost all NHS laboratories to estimatethe risk of recurrence of the most common type of the disease,called oestrogen positive (ER+) breast cancer.

At present around half of the women diagnosed with breastcancer undergo chemotherapy following their surgery to reducethe chances of the illness returning.But, scientists behind the test, called ICH4, think manydon’t need to have this exhausting treatment as their tumoursare “low risk” and unlikely to recur, the Daily Mail reported.

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They estimate that the ICH4 test could pick out between4,000 and 5,000 women every year in the UK alone who would notneed chemotherapy, which lasts up to six months and normallycauses side effects such as nausea, hair loss and extremefatigue. It also leaves some patients infertile.
The new test measures levels of ER, PR, HER2 and Ki67proteins in the tumour once it has been surgically removed.This allows doctors to gauge more precisely the likelihood ofthe cancer returning.

In a trial, results of which are published in the BritishJournal of Cancer, scientists at the Royal Marsden hospital inLondon used the test on 101 women including 26 who werecategorised as being at “intermediate” risk. It was found that15 of them were actually at low risk and therefore did not
need chemotherapy.

[caption id=“attachment_318710” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Scientists have come up with a test that can ascertain if a breast cancer tumour will return.”]  [/caption]

Lead researcher Prof Mitch Dowsett said: “This is a
simple, cost-effective test. This new research suggests many
additional patients could be classified as at low risk, andtherefore avoid chemotherapy and its toxic side effects.“This could make a big difference to those patients, andalso save the NHS money,” Prof Dowsett said.Currently, the test is being assessed by the NationalInstitute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), Britain’sdrugs rationing body.
Previous studies have also found the ICH4 test is just aseffective as the expensive procedures on the market, includingOncotype DX, which costs 2,500 pounds per patient.

PTI