Each year, more than 56,500 women are diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a non-invasive type of breast cancer commonly referred to as Stage 0 breast cancer.
A woman with DCIS is typically treated with breast conserving surgery, or lumpectomy, where the surgeon removes the tumor while leaving the majority of the breast intact. Radiation therapy (RT) is used in most patients to reduce the chance that DCIS will recur or progress to invasive cancer.
The challenge here is that not every woman with DCIS will benefit from radiation. While more than 70% of women get radiation treatment for DCIS today, randomized studies have shown that only about 15% will actually benefit from the therapy. Until now, there hasn’t been a test or combined clinical factors that could truly assess a woman’s benefit of radiation. And what woman would want to go through the time, energy and potential side effects of radiation treatment if she didn’t really need it?
Enabling better-informed treatment decisions
PreludeDxTM is changing the way physicians and patients approach DCIS treatment decisions with DCISionRT®, the only test on the market that predicts a woman’s benefit of radiation therapy in DCIS breast cancer.
Results from the 7-gene DCISionRT biosignature test are categorized as low, elevated, or residual risk, and provide a clear, easy-to-interpret risk assessment, facilitating shared decision-making between patients and their physician care teams.
Dan Forche
President and CEO, PreludeDx
“Breast surgeons and radiation oncologists are using DCISionRT results to guide treatment decisions,” said Dan Forche, president and CEO of PreludeDx. “They trust our company because we provide them with critical information they need to optimize treatment, and personalize the results according to each patient’s unique tumor biology.”
Dr. Chirag Shah
Co-Director, Comprehensive Breast Program, Cleveland Clinic
“DCISionRT is great news for patients,” said Dr. Chirag Shah, co-director of the Comprehensive Breast Program at Cleveland Clinic and director of breast radiation oncology. “In the era of personalized medicine, DCISionRT gives me the opportunity to talk to patients about what their disease is saying, and how to best tailor their treatment, based upon their individual risk and personal preferences.”
Empowering patients
This information is truly empowering for our patients. Earlier this year, Hannah Storm, award-winning sports journalist, shared the story about her breast DCIS and how DCISionRT impacted her care.
“The DCISionRT test was the bedrock of my treatment plan,” she said. “The low-risk result indicated that radiation would likely not benefit me based on my tumor biology, and that my lumpectomy alone would be enough. This gave me tremendous confidence. I was able to put my breast cancer recurrence fears behind me, knowing that taking medication for a few years, alongside regular checkups and testing, was my path forward toward continued good health.”
DCISionRT is, indeed, a gamechanger. PreludeDx reports that over 32,000 patients have had the test to date. The test has been ordered by over 2,200 breast cancer physicians and by top academics in over 80% of major U.S. cancer centers nationwide.
“Now we just need to ensure that every patient has access to this critical test,” Forche said. “Women with breast cancer deserve the choice to make more informed decisions on their treatment and their outcomes.”
Just ask LeeAnne L., a DCIS patient whose treatment plan was transformed because of DCISionRT. “Since my diagnosis, I have been agonizing over the standard of care treatment options that had been presented to me,” she said. “I learned about the test from various Facebook DCIS support groups and asked my doctors specifically for DCISionRT.
“I was able to get the results back a week before my scheduled mastectomy surgery. My score came back at the lowest possible risk and showed no personal benefit from radiation. I was so relieved, I was able to have breast conserving surgery and avoid both mastectomy AND radiation. I can’t imagine where I would be right now if I hadn’t had this test.”
