New DNA test spares UK breast cancer patients from chemotherapy

Millions of breast cancer patients may soon avoid the harsh side effects of chemotherapy, thanks to a new DNA test developed in the UK. Studies show the test can accurately predict which patients will benefit from chemotherapy and which can be treated with hormone therapy alone.

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The results made me feel a great sense of relief and I was absolutely overjoyed.

International trials involving over 4,000 newly diagnosed patients in the UK, Norway, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand revealed that more than two-thirds of participants could be spared chemotherapy. These patients, identified by a low score on the Prosigna gene test, had a five-year survival rate of 93.7%. Those who received chemotherapy had a slightly higher rate of 94.9%.

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Cancer diagnosis and treatment can be devastating. It can certainly push you into a world of uncertainty. Life priorities are reshaped, all you want is to survive.

Chemotherapy can cause debilitating fatigue, nausea, hair loss, weakened immunity, and fertility issues. The Prosigna test, which measures the activity of 50 genes involved in breast cancer progression, helps doctors assess the risk of the disease returning. University College London (UCL), which led the study, estimates that over 5,000 NHS patients could avoid chemotherapy each year based on these findings.

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We can now confidently predict that many patients will not benefit from chemotherapy and therefore there is no need for these patients to have chemotherapy.

Professor David Miles, a leading cancer expert, described the findings as "practice-changing." He stated that doctors can now confidently predict which patients will not benefit from chemotherapy, thus avoiding the difficult treatment process. The study's results were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Chicago.

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It allows doctors to confidently state that a very large group of women will not benefit and there is no need for them to undergo this arduous process that provides no benefit.