Tuesday, April 04,
2000 Test May Spare Some
>From Chemo
Testing for the
presence of two proteins may help spare women diagnosed with early stage breast
cancer from unnecessary chemotherapy. That's
the finding from a new study presented Monday at the American Association for
Cancer Research annual meeting in San Francisco. Dr. Anita Prechtl, a professor
of obstetrics and gynecology at Munich Technical University in Munich, Germany
says women with high levels of these proteins, called uPA (urokinase-type
plasminogen activator) and PAI-1, face a higher risk of the cancer spreading
even though their lymph nodes are
cancer-free. These proteins could help
determine which patients should receive chemotherapy. For some women with small
tumors, but cancer-free lymph nodes, there is a risk the cancer will come back.
Chemotherapy can reduce this risk by one-third, but doctors don't always know
who is at risk for recurrence and who
isn't. European physicians already use
this protein test routinely, but American doctors say they want more evidence
before incorporating the test into regular breast cancer care. In Dr. Prechtl's
study, women with low levels of uPA and PAI-1 were not given any additional
treatment after surgery and radiation. Those with high levels either received
chemotherapy or no treatment. The women who received no treatment and tested
positive for high levels of these proteins showed the highest rate of recurrence
within three years. --ByKatrina Woznicki
