The OncotypeDX test usage to guide treatment decisions among women with node-negative, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer is resulting in good outcomes according to a study reported in the journal Cancer.

The OncotypeDX test evaluates the activity of twenty one genes from a sample of the patients' cancer to determine their Recurrence Score -- the risk of a patient experiencing a recurrence ten years following diagnosis. This test gives a more individualized treatment for women with early stage breast cancer and would allow women who are unlikely to benefit from chemotherapy to avoid the toxic effects of treatment. The Recurrence Score ranges from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating a greater risk of recurrence.

Using the Recurrence Score guided approach, low-risk women would be treated with Tamoxifen alone, and intermediate and high-risk women would be treated with Tamoxifen and chemotherapy. The study results suggest that among women with early stage, ER positive breast cancer, use of the OncotypeDX test to individualize treatment decisions appears to produce good outcomes at an acceptable cost.