Multicentre research concludes that low-cost test could predict relapse in breast Cancer

Between Oct 13, 2008, and April 16, 2014, one of the largest medical trial of its kind took place in the UK. The trial, sponsored by Cancer Research UK, involved 4480 patients across 130 UK hospitals with the aim of improving outcomes in women with operable breast cancer.

A team of Biomedical scientists, including Bangor University lecturer Bethan Davies-Jones, carried out laboratory investigations and disease staging. Additional investigations to look for changes in the growth rate of cancer cells following treatment with simple hormone therapy (aromatase inhibitors) were carried out by the Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

The research, published on November the 1st in the Lancet, concluded that a test costing around £60 that measures a patient’s response to short-term hormone therapy could help predict how likely the disease is to return. Using the test, which is much cheaper and easier than genomic tests, could help provide reassurance for women likely to do well on standard treatment while identifying those at increased risk of relapse. 

Publication date: 24 November 2020