Shahrin Ahmed: Are Breast Cancer Outcomes in Women Improved by RiskScore Testing?
Shahrin Ahmed, Medical Specialist at Canadian Cancer Society, shared a post on X:
“Are breast cancer outcomes in women improved by RiskScore Testing –
Screening detects breast cancer among women who are 70 or older. The likelihood of being diagnosed at an earlier stage was much greater among those who had undergone screening mammography within 5 years of their diagnosis.
A new analysis of over 13,000 women has shown a decrease in the likelihood of dying from breast cancer. Breast cancer can be detected early through biannual screening, which can reduce the risk of the disease. Estrogen receptor (ER)-positive disease is the cause of specific mortality among women aged 40-74 years. The benefits of biannual screening in older women are uncertain, despite conflicting evidence.
Data from Surveillance and Epidemiology was analysed by researchers. Between 2010 and 2017, 13,028 women (aged less than 70 years) diagnosed with ER-positive or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative breast cancer were enrolled in a Medicare-linked dataset.
Patients receive appropriate breast screening following RiskScore testing, indicating that doctors utilize RiskScore results when making risk-based screening recommendations for their patients. In order to carry out this research, the RiskScore outcomes for patients were anonymized and connected with insurance claims information to identify the kind of breast cancer screening performed in the year following genetic testing.
A comparison was made of mammography for individuals under 40, breast MRI, and genetic counselling—recommended by guidelines for those at heightened risk of breast cancer—before and after obtaining RiskScore results.
The study revealed that patients with a lifetime breast cancer risk of 20% or higher, as indicated by either RiskScore, were identified. Patients with a lifetime risk of less than 20% did not seem to engage in increased screening.
This indicates that healthcare providers utilized the RiskScore outcomes to guide patient care.”
Learn more about Breast Cancer on OncoDaily.
-
Challenging the Status Quo in Colorectal Cancer 2024
December 6-8, 2024
-
ESMO 2024 Congress
September 13-17, 2024
-
ASCO Annual Meeting
May 30 - June 4, 2024
-
Yvonne Award 2024
May 31, 2024
-
OncoThon 2024, Online
Feb. 15, 2024
-
Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
Dec. 14-16, 2023