UW-Madison was among the study sites for a large, multi-center clinical trial that sought to determine optimal treatments for women with early-stage breast cancer.

The findings, announced in early June, showed the majority of women with the most common form of early breast cancer do not need chemotherapy as long as they take medications that block estrogen.

A test on tumors removed during surgery can show which women need chemotherapy and which can safely skip it. 

Kari Wisinski, MD, associate professor (CHS), Hematology, Medical Oncology, and Palliative Care, explained the significance for women whose breast cancer has not spread to lymph nodes or elsewhere in the body.

"The study found that women with hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative breast cancer with low oncotype scores did just as well taking the anti-estrogens alone as those who also received chemotherapy," she said. 

Resources:

• "Who Needs Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer?," UW Health, June 6, 2018