Only a third of eligible breast cancer patients receive a gene expression test

Article excerpt

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.