For women age 70 and over with a common form of breast cancer, determining “the right size” of treatment can be challenging, in part because clinicians have limited tools to guide individualized treatment decisions.
In a study published recently in Clinical Cancer Research, scientists at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that a blood-based test may help guide treatment decisions for a carefully selected group of women age 70 and over who have estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer, who were considering endocrine (or hormone-blocking) therapy as the primary treatment and forgoing surgery and radiation.
“We are learning that not every patient needs the same treatment based simply on their diagnosis, and instead, care should…