Chemotherapy or no Chemotherapy: Learn About the Oncotype DX Test

By Ellen Dolgen

If you or someone you love is post-menopausal and diagnosed with stage one breast cancer, I suggest you speak the doctor about the Oncotype DX test. This test can help you and your doctor choose the best treatment for you. It can be one of the deciding factors on whether or not you need to have chemotherapy. However, always remember, that the final choice lies with you and you want to be proactive.

According to WebMD, this test doesn’t require any additional procedures as it uses tissue taken during the initial biopsy or surgery. It measures 21 different breast cancer genes in the tumor sample.

The Oncotype DX helps to determine if you need chemotherapy treatment and is recommended for people who have Stage I or II invasive cancer and ER+ (estrogen-receptor positive) cancer. The test looks for patterns that would suggest a more aggressive cancer, and that is likely to come back after treatment. The scores range from 0 – 100. The higher the score, the higher the risk.

You also may be a candidate for the Oncotype DX if you’ve recently been diagnosed with DCIS and you’re having a lumpectomy to remove the DCIS. If you have been diagnosed with DCIS, they use a different scoring which is called, a DCIS score. Your doctor will look at your Oncotype DX score, your tumor size and grade, the number of hormone receptors in your cancer, and your age before recommending a treatment plan.

Information is power, the more you know about your tumor, the more individualized the treatment can become.

Margret agreed to share her story with us:

“My original biopsy, after my positive mammogram results, showed stage one breast cancer in my right breast. Later during surgery, another tumor was found in the centennial node of my lymph glands. In all, 21 nodes were removed during the surgery.  My oncologist ordered the Oncotype DX Test to help me determine the course of cancer treatment to choose afterward. After surgery, the hospital sent the pathology (tumors) from the surgery the Genomic Health laboratory.

Normally, when cancer is found in the lymph, the first treatment is 6 months of chemo.  Chemo has always terrified me because I saw what my mother went through during two courses of chemo.  She developed nausea and neuropathy to such an extent she could barely walk more a few steps because she couldn’t feel her feet on the floor. She lost her sense of taste, sex drive, weight, her skin tone changed, after the humiliating and debilitating symptoms, her hair falling out seemed like the least of the horror. 

After my breast surgery it took three weeks for the Oncotype DX report to come in, and when it did, the news that I wouldn’t have to undergo chemotherapy for six months was the most exciting news I could imagine!  I literally leaped for joy!

The Onco DX test showed that mine was tubular cancer, which is rare to about 1% of women with breast cancer. It sounded to me that I won the cancer lottery—because chemo is not recommended with tubular cancer.  My reoccurrence score was calculated from the gene expression results and the range is from 0 – 100.  My Oncotype DX Recurrence Score was 13 out of 100.  

 Onco DX recommended the best course of treatment to prevent recurrence was to begin an anti-estrogen therapy.  My oncologist prescribed Exemestane 25 mg (also called Aromasin).  My doctor said that I might suffer some pretty severe reactions and if I couldn’t stay with it, we’d move onto something else, like Tamoxifen. Symptoms include osteoporosis/bone pain, hot flashes, high blood pressure, hair thinning, insomnia, nausea, fatigue, abdominal pain, depression, and pain.  I was pretty optimistic and sure with my current health and daily physical regime that I wouldn’t experience those symptoms.

My regime: exercise regularly, walk our dog, have a healthy diet that is wheat and almost sugar-free.  Interestingly enough, I gave up sugar right after I was initially diagnosed 13 months ago. I’ve been taking the medication for 8 months now and have not experienced any side effects.

Oncotype DX saved me from Chemo, which is the greatest gift I can imagine. I am so blessed to live in times when cancer seems tamable. It was so empowering to have choices and be able to live with my choice.  I had cancer, but cancer didn’t have me!” 

Margret’s protocol would most likely have been much different had her oncologist not ordered the Oncotype DX test to analyze the activity of those 21 genes to help determine how her cancer would likely behave and respond to treatment.

The results of this new test can help you and your physician make a more informed decision about the course of your therapy.

I love science!

My Motto: Suffering in silence is OUT! Reaching out is IN!

Download my free eBook MENOPAUSE MONDAYS The Girlfriends Guide to Surviving and Thriving in Perimenopause and Menopause.

Ellen Dolgen, spurred by her own experience struggling with the symptoms of menopause, is devoted to helping women everywhere. Through EllenDolgen.com and her FREE eBook, MENOPAUSE MONDAYS The Girlfriend’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving During Perimenopause and Menopause, she shares the expertise of numerous specialists to replace confusion and embarrassment with medically sound solutions, presented in an entertaining and informative way. From hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, mental fogginess, loss of libido, heart health, and lots more in between, EllenDolgen.com provides empowerment for women to become their own best health advocates.