Dr. Ward on Multigene Testing in Breast Cancer
​​John H. Ward, MD, discusses his preferences in multilane testing for patients with hormone receptor–positive, node-negative breast cancer.
John H. Ward, MD, professor of Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, discusses his preferences in multilane testing for patients with hormone receptor (HR)—positive, node-negative breast cancer.
For patients with HR-positive, node-negative breast cancer who would be considered for chemotherapy, the current recommendation is the 21-gene recurrence score as it is believed to be predictive of chemotherapy benefit. However, there are a couple of caveats, Ward explains. First, if a patient has already been tested with other assays, it is unnecessary to repeat testing with the 21-gene recurrence score.
Ward says that there is no wrong choice when it comes to selecting an assay, but the 21-gene recurrence score is his preference. For patients in which chemotherapy is not being considered or for those who would not be a candidate for chemotherapy, the panel is also not needed as it will not affect the treatment decision.
