Overview
- Results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology this week from the OPTIMA phase III trial show that a Prosigna genomic test can safely guide chemotherapy decisions for people aged 40 and over with hormone receptor–positive, HER2‑negative early breast cancer.
- The trial randomized more than 4,400 patients across the UK, Norway, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand and used a 50-gene Prosigna score to assign low‑risk patients to hormone therapy alone or to hormone therapy plus chemotherapy.
- Sixty‑eight percent of participants were classified low risk by Prosigna and five‑year recurrence‑free survival was nearly identical in that group: 94.8% with chemotherapy plus hormone therapy versus 93.6% with hormone therapy alone.
- Researchers estimate the approach could allow more than 5,000 NHS patients a year to avoid chemotherapy, which would reduce exposure to short‑ and long‑term toxicities and could lower treatment costs if adopted into guidelines and laboratory workflows.
- Investigators and the test developer say the randomized data represent high‑quality evidence for genomic‑guided care but caution the findings apply to those aged 40 and over and that more study is needed for men and younger patients before broader rollout.