Scientists have developed a new genetic test that can determine which breast cancer patients genuinely need chemotherapy and which women can be spared from this difficult treatment.
The international study included more than 4,000 women over the age of 40. The research was conducted in several countries, including the United Kingdom. Experts examined the activity of 50 cancer related genes to estimate the risk of the disease returning.
According to the study, nearly two thirds of the women achieved almost the same health outcomes without receiving chemotherapy as those patients who underwent the treatment. After five years, survival rates remained very similar in both groups.
Experts say that this development could save thousands of women from unnecessary chemotherapy, whose side effects include severe fatigue, nausea, hair loss, physical weakness and reduced fertility.
One woman who participated in the study said that after undergoing the new genetic test, she did not need chemotherapy and has been living a better life for several years through other forms of treatment.
According to her, a cancer diagnosis places a person in a state of fear and uncertainty, making this news a great source of relief.
Cancer experts have described the research as a major change in treatment methods. They said that previously, most women were given chemotherapy as a precaution, although it was later found that many patients had not gained significant benefit from it.
The results of the study will be presented at a major international cancer conference in the United States. However, experts say it is not yet clear whether this method will also prove effective for women under the age of 40.
