A £ 60 test for breast cancer that may help ease fears

A LOW- COST test that measures a breast cancer patient’s response to short- term hormone therapy could help predict how likely the disease is to return, researchers believe.

The scientists say the test costs around £ 60 per patient, which is less than 1/ 20th the cost of the currently available genomic tests.

It looks for changes in the growth rate of cancer cells following treatment with aromatase inhibitors – drugs which stop the production of oestrogen.

The researchers say using the test could help provide reassurance for women likely to do well on standard treatment while identifying those at increased risk of relapse.

Professor Ian Smith, honorary professor of cancer medicine at The Institute of Cancer Research in London, who is chief investigator in the trial, said: “This important trial is the largest of its kind in the world and involved around 4,500 patients in 130 NHS breast units throughout the UK.

“We have shown that giving patients with early breast cancer two weeks of simple endocrine therapy using aromatase inhibitor tablets before surgery allows us to determine what is the most appropriate medical treatment after surgery for each individual patient. In particular, it helps us identify which patients could avoid chemotherapy with all its unpleasant toxicities.

“The test is much cheaper and easier than current genomic tests and we believe it should become part of the standard treatment for early breast cancer.”

Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden Trust studied women with early- stage, hormonepositive breast cancer.