[Wellness] The 21-Gene Test

["Karen Patterson" <Patterson@womens-wellness.com>]

>From Oct 2005  Ladies Home Journal by Janis Graham

"The 21-Gene test is a new test that can help determine whether you're
likely to experience a cancer recurrence and therefore benefit from
chemotheray.  Each year more than 50,000 women are diagnosed with
hormone-sensitive breast cancer, which relies on estrogen to grow. But
researchers haave long known that a substantial number--perhaps as many as
50 percent--of these women are at low risk for the cancer to return to begin
with and therefore may not need to go through the discomfort and side
effects of chemotherapy, which include fatigue, nausea and vomiting,
decreased appetite, hair loss, mouth sores and infertility."

The test, also called Oncotype DX and available since Jan. 04 analyzes 21
genes, the majority of which are key to the growth and spread of cancer
cells. "The test helps take a lot of the guesswork out of a treatment
decision," says Sheila E. Taube, Ph.D., associate director of the
institute's cancer program (National Cancer Institute)  The test costs about
$3500 and you would need to check to see if insurance would cover it.

For more information:  www.genomichealth.com

also covering all aspects of genetic testing
http://www.breastcancer.org/research_genetics_asco03.html

It is very important to completely understand your pathology report.  This
link will help with that:

http://www.breastcancer.org/pathology_intro.html

Knowledge is power----Patient Power
Karen Patterson, Founder of Womens-Wellness.com and a breast cancer survivor







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