AI Insight
Research from the Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Centre reveals that only approximately one-third of eligible breast cancer patients receive gene expression testing, despite its availability and reimbursement coverage. Gene expression tests can identify patients who may safely avoid chemotherapy, reducing unnecessary treatment and its associated side effects. The study, led by Professor Sabine Siesling and published in the International Journal of Cancer, demonstrates significant underutilization of this diagnostic tool in clinical practice even after financial barriers were removed.
Why it matters
This finding highlights a substantial gap between available medical technology and its implementation in patient care, suggesting that many breast cancer patients may be receiving chemotherapy unnecessarily. Identifying and addressing the barriers to test adoption could improve treatment decisions, reduce patient exposure to toxic therapies when not needed, and potentially lower healthcare costs.
Understand the Science
A gene expression test can help prevent unnecessary chemotherapy in breast cancer patients, yet its use in the Netherlands remains limited. This is shown by new research from the Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Centre (IKNL), led by Sabine Siesling, principal investigator at IKNL and professor at the University of Twente. Even after reimbursement was introduced, only about one in three eligible patients receives a test. The work is published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Source: Only a third of eligible breast cancer patients receive a gene expression test