Vicki Durston, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA), shared a post on LinkedIn:
“3,000 Australians a Year Could Be Spared Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer.
Presented at American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) this weekend and making headlines around the world, the OPTIMA trial could change treatment decisions for thousands of Australians diagnosed with ER-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer.
For decades, chemotherapy decisions have relied heavily on tumour size, grade and lymph node involvement. OPTIMA asked a different question. Could we better understand the biology of a person’s cancer and identify those unlikely to benefit from chemotherapy?
Using the 50-gene Prosigna genomic test, researchers found that two-thirds of participants were classified as low risk.
As A/Prof Belinda Kiely, based in NSW on Breast Cancer Network Australia clinical advisory group who lead the trial in Australia through Breast Cancer Trials, said:
‘The test returned low risk for two-thirds of people… at least 3,000 Australians annually could safely avoid chemotherapy.’
Think about that. Three thousand Australians every year potentially spared chemotherapy. Not because we’re treating cancer less seriously. Because we’re treating it more precisely.
What I admire most about Belinda is that she never loses sight of the person sitting in front of her.
This work isn’t simply about reducing treatment. It’s about giving people greater confidence in the decisions they make. For many women, fear of recurrence is one of the greatest burdens they carry long after treatment ends. When chemotherapy is not recommended, the question can linger for years:
‘Did I do enough?’
Research like OPTIMA helps answer that question with greater certainty. It provides reassurance that treatment decisions are being guided not just by what we can see, but by a deeper understanding of the biology of the cancer itself.
This is treatment optimisation. Not more treatment. Not less treatment. The right treatment.
Congratulations to Belinda, Breast Cancer Trials, the international research team and every person who participated in this landmark study. Now comes the next challenge.
If genomic testing can help thousands of Australians avoid unnecessary chemotherapy and make treatment decisions with greater confidence, access to that testing matters. Because precision medicine only changes lives when people can access it.”
