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Genomic Testing Used During Early-Stage Breast Cancer Diagnosis

genomic testing

National Insurance Services has partnered with Grand Rounds to help our clients reduce their health insurance claims. In this article, Grand Rounds discusses why chemo may not always be necessary in some breast cancer cases.

In the U.S., a woman has a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer.1 When faced with this diagnosis, the patient’s selection of an “oncologist to see can have a dramatic impact on the care they receive.”2

In the latest medical breakthrough, some early-stage breast cancer patients have benefited from genomic testing. This testing can help “identify which cancer patients can safely forgo chemotherapy.”2 But, despite this development, “many oncologists continue to recommend chemotherapy… without ever conducting the tests to see whether such treatment is likely to provide any clinical benefits.” 2

“One recent study found that only 27% of eligible breast cancer patients received genomic testing…3 and research suggests that genomic testing could help up to 40,000 American women with early-stage breast cancer avoid unnecessary chemotherapy.”4

Read more here.

 

1“Breast Cancer Risk and Risk Factors,” BreastCancer.org, http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/risk. June 2016

2Freese, Nate. “Top Quality Oncologists Use Genomic Testing to Guide Treatment Decisions.” Web blog post. Grand Rounds, 18 September 2017. Web. 23 February 2018.

3“Gene Tests Identify Breast Cancer Patients Who Can Skip Chemotherapy, Study Says,” New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/science/gene-tests-identify-breast-cancer-patients-who-can-skip-chemotherapy-study-says.html?_r=0, August 2016

4“Under-Utilization of Gene Expression Profiling For Early Stage Breast Cancer in California,” National Center for Biotechnology Information, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4871729/, April 2016

National Insurance Services is not a law firm and no opinion, suggestion, or recommendation of the firm or its employees shall constitute legal advice. Readers are advised to consult with their own attorney for a determination of their legal rights, responsibilities and liabilities, including the interpretation of any statute or regulation, or its application to the readers’ business activities.

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Erin Woulfe

Erin Woulfe

Erin Woulfe likes to write about things that matter. Keeping her finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the public sector world, she blogs about the latest legislative news and employee benefit trends that affect our school, city and county clients. She’s been with NIS since 2002. “I love connecting to our clients and providing them with the tools they need in order to administrate their plan,” says Erin. “Whether that be materials to educate their employees on certain benefits, how to effectively communicate change within an organization, or providing tips and how-to’s to help them make their job easier.”