Some types of early stage breast cancer, already operated, can be analyzed with a genomic test to define the treatment more precisely, avoiding chemo if not necessary.
Yet this test still has little access available: it is in fact guaranteed by the National Health Service only to women residing in Lombardy, Tuscany and Bolzano, while reimbursement is not authorized in the rest of the national territory, despite the fact that there is a government allocation of 20 on paper. million, not yet executive.
Yet, for experts, performing it in patients where the benefit of adding chemotherapy to adjuvant hormone therapy is "uncertain" has three advantages. It helps the doctor to define the real usefulness of proposing chemotherapy combined with hormone therapy and can prevent 22 women from using heavy and useless therapy every day. Finally, it represents a saving for the Health System, avoiding the costs of unnecessary chemotherapy.
To 'mobilize' towards the goal of availability for all women who need it, the "Chemo, if I can avoid it" campaign was born, promoted by Europa Donna Italia with the support of Scientific Societies, the Aiom Foundation, Ropi ( Italian Patients Oncology Network) and other patient associations. The campaign collected 20,000 signatures to extend access to the genomic test to all eligible women, also promoting correct information.
With the latter objective, a Notebook dedicated to the genomic test of the Aiom and Ropi Foundation was also created, which will be presented in a webinar on Monday 26 April on the websites www.fondazioneaiom.it and www.reteoncologicaropi.it. "Few women know him, instead the genomic test - explains the president of the Aiom-Ropi Foundation, Stefania Gori - in patients suffering from initial breast tumors, operated on, with hormone receptors positive, HER2 negative, healthy axillary lymph nodes or with up to 3 metastatic lymph nodes, represents an effective tool to estimate the real benefit of chemotherapy in addition to hormonal therapy on the control of developing a recurrence of the disease after surgery. In possession of the risk result, the oncologist will be able to appropriately prescribe an adjuvant chemotherapy only if it is of benefit ".
