Gene test cuts the need for chemo by half

The number of Irish women forced to undergo chemotherapy treatment for early stage breast cancer more than halved over an 18-month period, following the HSE’s approval of a new genetic test.

Most of those who undertook the Oncotype DX analysis, which identifies whether or not a patient will need chemotherapy after surgery, were found not to need such aggressive treatment, a medical conference in Vienna heard yesterday.

Studies presented at the 14th St Gallen Breast Cancer Conference included results from an observational study in Ireland — the first European country to publicly reimburse the cost of the US$4,000 (€3,705) test.