The risks in breast cancer are still under permanent study / Web
–
Genomic platforms for breast cancer analyze certain genes that are expressed in the tumor mass and, together with other clinical variables, help to refine the prognosis of the disease and to predict the benefits of chemotherapy and the risk of relapse
These genomic platforms are effective in initial, non-metastatic tumors that can be operated on and analyzed. And, although not all breast cancer subtypes are candidates, those with hormone receptors (luminal) are candidates, 75-80% of all breast tumors, excluding HER2 positive and triple negative because they lack, precisely, hormone expression genes.
This is a common test in oncology consultations for this large group of patients and has changed clinical practice by being able to determine, above all, which women are at higher risk of relapse and whether they can benefit from chemotherapy. In the vast majority of hormone-dependent cancers, hormone therapy is key to reducing relapse and thus increasing survival. “There is a subgroup within these hormone-dependent tumors that have an additional benefit by adding chemotherapy to this hormonal treatment and thus further reduce the risk of relapse and mortality,” explains the president of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology, oncologist Álvaro Rodríguez- Lescure. “Until the platforms came out,” he pointed out, “we had to be guided by a series of prognostic risk factors that were not highly accurate. To benefit some patients, we had to treat many others with chemotherapy who didn’t really need it ”.
Therefore, these genomic tests make it possible to select patients who really require chemotherapy from those in whom it would not have an added benefit to hormonal therapy.
What are genomic platforms?
Genomic platforms for breast cancer are tests that are performed on the tumor sample and in which the expression of a group of genes is analyzed, which together with the clinical variables of the tumor (size, lymph node involvement …), allows us more precisely characterize the tumor, its biology and its risk of recurrence.
What do they contribute to the prognosis and treatment of this tumor?
They give us a more adjusted prognostic estimate than the classic histopathological factors (size, grade, proliferative index …), classify tumors according to their risk (high / low or high / intermediate / low risk, depending on the platform), calculate the danger of relapse , and they also give us predictive data of benefit with chemotherapy.
Can they avoid chemotherapy in certain cases?
Yes, genomic platforms allow more precise selection of patients who will benefit from chemotherapy by more accurately estimating prognosis and risk of relapse. Thanks to these platforms we can safely avoid chemotherapy, or, on the contrary, indicate chemotherapy treatment in patients with risk tumors.
– .
