Genomic Health, Inc. announced that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the United Kingdom has issued its final guidance recommending Oncotype DX as the only multi-gene breast cancer test for use in clinical practice to guide chemotherapy treatment decisions for patients with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive, invasive breast cancer.

Consistent with leading international breast cancer treatment guidelines, including ASCO, NCCN, ESMO and St. Gallen, NICE’s recommendation recognises the unparalleled evidence of the clinical validity of the Oncotype DX test and its ability to enable physicians and their patients to make more informed, individualised decisions.

“It is encouraging to see growing recognition of the value of genomic testing. Its provision has enhanced the care of breast cancer patients around the world and it will now be available as an option in the UK,” said David Miles, M.D., medical oncologist at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, Northwood, Middlesex, United Kingdom. “NICE’s recommendation for the use of Oncotype DX in the UK is an important step forward, enabling physicians and patients to make better-informed treatment decisions based on the biology of an individua l patient’s breast cancer.”

To date, more than 1,500 women in the UK have utilised the Oncotype DX test to help guide their treatment decisions. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, with almost 50,000 people diagnosed each year in the UK. Most of these patients are diagnosed with early-stage, invasive breast cancer and a significant number of them could benefit from this test under the NICE recommendation.

“The decision of whether or not to undergo chemotherapy is an extremely important and difficult one for patients, not only due to the many side effects associated with treatment, but also due to the hardship for the patient and her family and the loss of income due to days off work. Allowing patients and their physicians to make more personalised treatment decisions can help improve outcomes for the rising number of early-stage breast cancer patients in Europe,” said Kathi Apostolidis, vice president, European Cancer Patient Coalition, Brussels, Belgium and a two-time breast cancer survivor, commenting on the NICE announcement. “We hope NICE’s decision will also inspire other European countries to provide broader access to novel diagnostics such as Oncotype DX, which allows informed decision making for sparing the burden of chemotherapy from those who do not need it.”

With data showing that only four out of 100 early-stage invasive breast cancer patients benefit from chemotherapy, the Oncotype DX test helps improve patient outcomes by personalising treatment decisions through assessment of the risk of cancer recurrence and chemotherapy benefit.

“Given NICE’s rigorous review process and its influence throughout the region, we believe this decision brings us an important step closer to achieving our mission to improve the quality of treatment decisions for cancer patients across Europe and around the world,” said Steven Shak, M.D., executive vice president of research and development, Genomic Health. “Our extensive body of clinical evidence highlights the unique ability of our test to play a critical role in breast cancer treatment, while providing a positive impact on health systems worldwide. Based on NICE’s recommendation, we will work with NHS healthcare providers and commissioners to provide broad access to the Oncotype DX test for UK patients.”

The robust body of evidence supporting Oncotype DX includes 15 clinical studies in more than 6,000 patients; 18 decision impact studies from 10 countries, which consistently demonstrate an approximate 30 percent change in treatment recommendations; and more than 20 studies from nine countries, showing that the use of the test is cost-effective in all health systems analysed.

Source: NICE