Common breast cancer test may not be worth the cost, UCLA study suggests

A genomic test widely used to help determine whether women with a common form of breast cancer should undergo radiation is not cost effective, according to a new UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center study. The Oncotype DX DCIS test is given to women with ductal carcinoma in situ, which means the cancer has not spread to any other tissues, to help them choose the best treatment by better identifying the potential of tumors to come back.

Oncotype DX DCIS reduces the number of women undergoing radiation therapy, which is good because it decreases the number of women exposed to possibly harmful side effects. However, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center member Dr. Ann Raldow and colleagues at Harvard and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said that may not be enough benefit to justify the high cost of the Oncotype DX DCIS test and it should be discussed by physicians and policy makers.

Read the full news release.