Nuffield Health patients to benefit from individualised treatment planning for early stage breast cancer

Thu, 26/01/2012

Increased access to Genomic Health’s Oncotype DX test helps predict risk of recurrence and chemotherapy benefit, sparing women in the UK from unnecessary chemotherapy treatment.

Patients at Nuffield Hospitals now have access to the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Test – a unique test that enables doctors and patients with early stage breast cancer to make more informed, individualised treatment decisions. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, and almost 50,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK.[1]

Mr Charlie Chan FRCS, Consultant Surgeon at Nuffield Health Cheltenham Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital, said: “Oncotype DX is the first genomic test that helps inform each woman with breast cancer about both her own personal risk of breast cancer recurrence and the likely benefit from chemotherapy. In the ideal world, cancer specialists would like to offer each patient a risk assessment and treatment plan that is specific for that individual. The use of this test in the planning of individualised cancer care can help patients and their doctors make treatment decisions with the best possible information. This will allow chemotherapy to be used where it will be most beneficial to women and spare some women from having chemotherapy, when it is not needed. Ultimately this will lead to significantly reduced financial costs and importantly improved wellbeing for many patients. The Oncotype DX Recurrence Score is a major advance and will help many women both now and in the future.”

Oncotype DX is the only test that has significant clinical evidence showing its ability to predict the likelihood of adjuvant chemotherapy benefit as well as recurrence in early-stage breast cancer.

The latest study results presented at the 2011 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) show that 46 percent of the UK patients who were initially offered chemotherapy and hormone therapy were spared chemotherapy after review of the Oncotype DX Recurrence Score® (RS). Overall physician treatment recommendations were changed by approximately 27 percent following knowledge of the RS. A second study, examining the cost effectiveness of Oncotype DX, showed a 99.6 percent probability that the test would be cost-effective in the United Kingdom, versus current clinical practice.

Dr Andrea Pithers, MRCGP, UK Lead for Genomic Health, said: “The collaboration with Nuffield is exciting. Oncotype DX is increasingly becoming incorporated into clinical care in the UK and the rest of Europe, and it was 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. Working together with Nuffield we hope that more women will be able to benefit from the test.”

David Sweetnam, Director of Pathology, Nuffield Health, said: “At Nuffield, we are dedicated to empowering people to take control, helping to maintain and improve their health by providing the resources, information and inspiration they need to stay physically and  mentally fit.  Oncotype DX helps provide reassurance for patients, enabling them to make more informed treatment decisions. We are very pleased to be partnering with Genomic Health to provide this unique breast cancer test.”

ENDS

  1. Nuffield Health is the largest not-for-profit provider of healthcare in the UK, and has been for over 50 years. Through its 200 hospitals, fitness centres and other facilities across the UK, it offers the services of over 15,000 health experts to help people get healthy and stay healthy.

    Through our hospitals, fitness and wellbeing centres, medical clinics and corporate facilities, we help people to get healthy and stay healthy, to identify and manage their individual health risks, and provide sophisticated diagnosis and treatment when problems occur. We are independent of government and have no shareholders so we can reinvest all financial surpluses for the benefit of our customers.
  2. For more information please contact: Elaine Towell – email: elaine.towell@nuffieldhealth.com; T: 020 8329 6419. Press office and out of hours: 020 8329 6707.

  3. For more information about Genomic Health please contact: Sabrina Gomersall. GenomicHealthUK@wcgworld.com. 0203 008 7978.