Results of the TAILORx clinical study may change the treatment recommendations for women with early-stage breast cancer. A recent report indicated that for most women with an intermediate risk score resulting from the 21-gene expression test, there was no benefit of taking chemotherapy in addition to hormone therapy.
Authors of the study, which is to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine, said that the new findings suggest that 70% of women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, node-negative breast cancer can avoid chemotherapy. For some women, such as those under 50 years of age or those who are premenopausal, chemotherapy may provide some benefit. However, the authors recommend that all women under 75 with early-stage breast cancer should get the genetic screening to help guide treatment decisions.
