"Life-saving test": The treatment that can save breast cancer patients chemotherapy

Most breast cancer patients are diagnosed in the early stages, which is good news.

Today, thanks to the Oncotest "Oncotype Breast" test, it is possible to assess after surgery to remove the tumor whether chemotherapy can be given up to prevent the recurrence of the disease and thus save the side effects that many women fear.

In collaboration with Oncotest

22/06/2022

Wednesday, 22 June 2022, 07:51 Updated: 08:00

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Early diagnosis of breast cancer is the key to recovery (Photo: ShutterStock)

Early diagnosis of breast cancer - the most common tumor among women in the Western world in general and in Israel in particular - is the key to recovery.

According to the National Cancer Registry, one in eight women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime.

In fact, every woman - even without risk factors - has a 14% chance of getting breast cancer.

In order to give a patient effective treatment, it is very important to know what the tumor type is, what its characteristics are and whether there is a sensitivity to female hormones like estrogen.

Nowadays, there are tests that help to accurately predict based on molecular analysis of the tumor which of the women diagnosed with breast cancer does not need chemotherapy (in addition to hormonal therapy and surgery) and for which of them chemotherapy is necessary and can be life-saving.

The only test that showed predictive power for the contribution of chemotherapy was the "Oncotype Breast" test by Oncotest.

"Breast oncotype", a genomic test that examines the expression of 21 genes in the cancerous tumor tissue removed during surgery to remove the cancerous lesion or during a biopsy.

The test results are given as a numerical value of 0-100 called the Recurrence Score (RS).

The lower the value of the disease recurrence index (RS), the smaller the risk of local or distant recurrence of the disease, and more importantly, the benefit of complementary chemotherapy is negligible.

Therefore in most cases the attending physician tends to forgo the addition of chemotherapy.

The higher the disease recurrence index (RS), the higher and more significant the benefit of chemotherapy, and therefore doctors will tend to add complementary chemotherapy to reduce the chance of recurrence of the cancer.

There are now tests that help to accurately predict based on molecular analysis of the tumor which of the women diagnosed with breast cancer does not need chemotherapy (Photo: ShutterStock)

Solly Hakim, 60, mother of 2 sons, Magen Yavneh, underwent the test about a year ago, after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I noticed something unusual in the breast, and it seemed very strange to me. I tried to feel and did not feel a lump," she says.

"I asked for a mammogram and after that I was sent for a biopsy which confirmed that it was indeed a cancerous lump in the breast with infected glands and as such that required chemotherapy and surgery."

"My eldest son was supposed to get married two months later and I told the doctor who treated me that I was not going to undergo chemotherapy," Solly recalls.

"The doctor made it clear to me that there was no choice because the cancer could spread. I was sent by the surgeon to the oncologist when my great stress was from the side effects of the chemotherapy like hair loss," she adds.

"During the call, the doctor told me about a breast oncotype test."

It was clear to Solly that she was doing the test at all costs.

"I told the doctor I wanted to do the test because it was my chance to avoid chemotherapy. For me, this test can save me from side effects," she recalls.

It was about two weeks before the test results came from the US, and when they came - the test showed that the chemotherapy was not effective in her case. "From that moment on I became a different person - as if I did not have cancer.

For me, the test spared me the chemotherapy and side effects I was worried about.

It gave me a shot of encouragement at levels that are incomprehensible. "

Luckily for Solly, the result was good and she received a recurrence index (RS) of 16 which is a result that shows that in her case the contribution of chemotherapy is very low. Great and after about nine months of treatment she underwent surgery. Last month she finished the radiation and as mentioned did not need additional chemotherapy at all.

"I went through a month of radiation that is easier than chemotherapy. At the radiation I saw people who had to undergo the chemotherapy treatment - hairless, lacking energy and luckily I did not have to go through the process thanks to a breast oncotype test," concludes Solly, "I choose to share my story "You should not think twice. She saved my life mentally. All this suffering was just spared me."

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