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Old 05-27-2014, 11:20 AM   #1
'lizbeth
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Has anyone in the UK taken the Pam50 and opted out of chemo??

Gene test ends unnecessary breast chemotherapy for thousands of cancer patients


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...#ixzz32wHbrUAp
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Debilitating effects including hair loss, tiredness, weakness and sickness could be thing of the past for many





Research chief: Dr Julia Wilson hailed the breakthrough
Female cancer patients could be spared having their strength sapped by *chemotherapy, thanks to a *revolutionary new test.
Thousands of women with breast cancer have the treatment to reduce the risk of the disease returning.
The debilitating effects including hair loss, tiredness, weakness and sickness.
But many do not need chemotherapy because the risk of their breast cancer coming back is small.
The new genetic test, called PAM50, can identify those who would be helped by the chemo – and those who would be put through it for no benefit.
The test is speedy and looks at 50 different genes in each tissue sample.
It produces results for doctors and patients within days. If given the green light by Britain’s health watchdogs, kits for PAM50 could be available on the NHS within the next 12 months.
More than 50,000 are *diagnosed with breast cancer in Britain each year. Medics say 80% of cases are caused by oestrogen receptor positive disease.
This can be treated with hormone therapy but many patients also have chemo to make sure it doesn’t return.
Experts at the Institute of Cancer Research in London found PAM50 is the best test yet for determining whether they are at risk of a recurrence.
Mitch Dowsett, professor of biochemical endocrinology, said: “Chemotherapy is often used after surgery to reduce the risk of a patient’s cancer coming back.
“But the side effects are significant and some women won’t see any benefit.
“Our study found the PAM50 test is more effective than other methods at providing the information to exclude breast cancer patients from unnecessary chemotherapy – and has the potential to be done more quickly.”
The test was yesterday hailed by cancer charities.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s research director Julia Wilson said: “The PAM50 test has been proven to be an effective way of helping *clinicians ensure women do not have to undergo chemotherapy treatment that will not have any medical benefit when their risk of suffering a cancer *recurrence is in fact very low.
“This will mean that, where* *appropriate, women will be able to avoid the toxic side effects of chemotherapy.”
The ICR, which worked with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Queen Mary University of London, also found PAM50 produced better long-term information than other tests.
Chief executive Professor Alan Ashworth said this could help patients decide whether or not to have chemo. He said: “Great strides made in breast cancer treatment have resulted in a large rise in survival but some women receive *treatment which can be arduous while receiving no benefit.
“This test will improve doctors’ knowledge of who might benefit, allowing more women to make better informed *decisions on treatment.”


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...#ixzz32wHr6oba
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