NEJM study shows postmenapausal women with breast cancer may be spared chemo

Postmenopausal women with certain types of breast cancer can forgo chemotherapy, according to a national study published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

The study's lead author is Kevin Kalinsky, MD, MS, director of the Glenn Family Breast Center at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.

Kalinsky called the findings from the RxPONDER study "practice-changing" and said they will allow some postmenopausal women to be spared unnecessary chemotherapy and rely instead on hormone therapy.

Initial results from RxPONDER were reported at the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). The findings have now been confirmed in a rigorous peer-reviewed publication. Kalinsky will present the updated results at the 2021 SABCS on Dec. 8. The RxPONDER study was led by the SWOG Cancer Research Network and sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

For more on the study see the full news release.

The NEJM article is 21-Gene Assay to Inform Chemotherapy Benefit in Node-Positive Breast Cancer.