SAN ANTONIO — A gene test can help doctors determine which breast-cancer patients are likely to benefit from chemotherapy, even for those whose tumors are relatively more advanced, researchers reported Thursday.
The finding needs to be confirmed in clinical trials, but experts said the test could already be used to spare some women from the debilitating side effects of cancer drugs.
The research study, among others being presented at the 30th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, is part of a trend away from one-size-fits-all medicine.
“Each year we get a little closer” to in individualized treatment of breast cancer, said Dr. Eric Winer of Harvard University. “A few years ago, the vast majority of patients got chemotherapy. Now, more and more are asking whether it’s really appropriate.”
Breast-cancer patients typically are treated with surgery, drugs and radiation, and those with more advanced disease almost always receive chemotherapy. Scientists have known for years that most patients don’t benefit from the harsh drugs, but they can’t predict who will respond.
Dr. Kathy Albain of Loyola University Medical Center presented the findings that women with one kind of genetic makeup got virtually no benefit from chemotherapy, while others did significantly better on chemotherapy no matter how old they were.
About 45,000 women a year could potentially benefit from Albain’s research.
More than 8,500 breast-cancer experts from 83 countries are attending the four-day meeting, which concludes Sunday.
