A TEST that helps women with early stage breast cancer and their doctors make informed decisions about treatment is now being offered at the Bournemouth Nuffield Hospital.

Oncotype DX is the first test to indicate an individual patient’s genetic risk of her breast cancer recurring after surgery and the likely benefit of chemotherapy treatment.

Tony Skene, lead clinician at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital’s breast unit, explained: “The test has been out for a while. It is still not available on the NHS but it has been used quite a lot in America.

“The reason it’s currently news is that the House of Commons has recommended that the testing is looked at by NICE. In the interim, quite a few of the private health insurance companies have agreed that some of their patients would be able to have testing.”

The test, developed by a US company, looks at 21 genes from a tumour sample. Women are then given a score of between 0 and 100 to indicate whether they are at low, medium or high risk of their breast cancer returning within 10 years.

The score is used with other standard information, such as the size and grade of the tumour and the status of the lymph nodes.

“The exciting thing is that up until now, we’ve been saying to patients that breast cancer is a serious disease. Often treatments such as chemotherapy are given on the side of caution,” said Mr Skene.

“There hasn’t been a very reliable way for an individual patient to know who’s going to get the benefit. To reduce the chance of it coming back, chemotherapy may be offered to many women, but the reality is only some of those women would definitely get a benefit.

“This test would offer some patients the chance to avoid treatments such as chemo safely. The prospect of chemotherapy is one that lots of my patients have a dread and anxiety about.”

Mr Skene said US figures showed that about three-quarters of breast cancer patients being considered for chemotherapy would still find they needed it after testing.

Only tumours sentive to hormones are suitable for testing.

Dr Andrea Pithers, UK lead for Genomic Health, the company that has developed the test, said Oncotype DX had been recently approved for use in the public health system in Ireland.

“We feel it is important for women with early breast cancer to have access to a test that can make them feel more confident about their treatment decision.”