New test may spare breast cancer victims chemotherapy

A new test which may help some women with breast cancer avoid chemotherapy has been developed by leading Dublin-based scientists, it was revealed today.

The assessment, created by experts at University College Dublin’s Conway Institute and St Vincent’s University Hospital can predict whether the disease will spread.

Professor Joe Duffy, who led the team of scientists and doctors who developed, said it could lead to treatment being tailored to an individual’s needs.

“This new test may help some women newly diagnosed with breast cancer avoid chemotherapy,” he said.

“It leans towards the concept of personalised treatment rather than giving the chemotherapy blunderbuss to all patients, regardless of whether it is suitable for them or not.”

The test is not yet available in Ireland, but the scientists at UCD and St Vincent’s hope funding will be made available. The American Society of Clinical Oncology has recommended it becomes a standard test for all women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

It was developed through studies involving more than 8,000 patients and has been validated by a number of independent groups worldwide

It works by assessing enzyme levels in the cancer site. By measuring the levels of a particular enzyme in the tumour it can predict whether the patient’s cancer will spread beyond the breast site or not.

If the levels of the enzyme – known as uPA – are found to be high, it is more likely the patient will develop ’secondaries’ or metastasis which means both chemotherapy and surgery is needed to fight the disease.

However, if uPA levels are low, a combination of surgery and radiotherapy may be enough to tackle the cancer, minimising the expense and discomfort of treatment.

“At the moment most women undergo long and uncomfortable sessions of chemotherapy after their initial breast surgery, but this new enzyme test can help to offer a more tailored solution for patients,” Prof Duffy said.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women in Ireland after skin cancer. The number of new cases are expected to rise as the population ages.

The research was funded by the Irish Cancer Society and the Health Research Board of Ireland.