On this World Cancer Day, the McPeak-Sirois Group wishes to take a look back on the NeaOnQ study, whose results were made public at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) in December 2020. Indeed, NeaOnQ represents in several ways a significant milestone for the McPeak-Sirois Group.
This Quebec study was initiated and launched by the late Dr. André Robidoux, founding President of the Group’s Executive Scientific Committee. Dr Robidoux wanted to demonstrate that the 21-gene Breast Recurrence Score® assay, currently approved and reimbursed only for node-negative breast cancer patients, should also be used in patients with loco-regional lymph node involvement and thus avoiding chemotherapy treatments in these patients.
Funded by Exact Sciences, the purpose was to validate the clinical utility and the economic impact of the 21-gene Breast Recurrence Score (Oncotype DX®) in HR +, HER2- patients that have undergone surgical treatment for T1-T3 disease with 1-3 positive lymph nodes. The results of this study demonstrate a 67% reduction in recommendation for chemotherapy in all patients, 73% in patients with a positive node and 56% in patients with 2-3 positive nodes. These results translate into a 78% reduction at 6 months in the costs associated with chemotherapy and supportive therapy (growth factors and anti-emetics drugs) in these patients, reprensenting an average saving of $ 3083 / patient.
This study was supported by all of our members and researchers at the time of its launch, namely the Center hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal – Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, the CHU de Québec – Université Laval, the CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal – Jewish General Hospital and the McGill University Health Center.
It was Dr. Saima Hassan, Surgical-Oncologist at the CHUM, who took over from Dr. Robidoux and presented these encouraging results at SABCS, the main annual international conference on breast cancer bringing together researchers, clinicians, patients and pharmaceutical companies.
To find out more, watch below her video filmed by OncoXchange.