importante en cancer de mama

Most Women with Certain Types of Early Breast Cancer Don't Need Chemo

By Kelly Young

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and André Sofair, MD, MPH

Adjuvant chemotherapy is not beneficial for women who have certain types of early-stage breast cancer, suggests a phase III study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers enrolled 6700 women with hormone receptor–positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor–negative, axillary node–negative breast cancer with mid-range recurrence scores (11–25) based on a genetic test of the tumor. Women were randomized to have endocrine therapy alone or chemotherapy followed by endocrine therapy. 

During a median 90 months' follow-up, endocrine therapy was noninferior to chemoendocrine therapy for invasive disease-free survival. At 9 years, disease–free survival was still similar (about 83% for both groups). The authors say that the genetic assay could identify up to 85% of women with early breast cancer who could avoid chemotherapy, particularly those who are older than age 50 and have recurrence scores of 25 or lower and those 50 or younger with scores of 15 or lower.

Dr. Harold Burstein said in an ASCO news release: "This means that thousands of women will be able to avoid chemotherapy, with all of its side effects, while still achieving excellent long-term outcomes."

NEJM article (Free)

ASCO news release (Free)

Background: NEJM Journal Watch Oncology and Hematology coverage of patterns of recurrence in node-negative breast cancer (Free)