IDC - Waiting for Oncotype Results.

Elizabeth7

Hi..

I was diagnosed with IDC just before Christmas and had surgery to remove a 26mm tumour. No spread thankfully but it's Grade II Stage IIA. Need further surgery as margins not clear. Waiting 4 weeks now for my Oncotype results as had to get approval from my health insurance company before sample could be sent. Anyone any idea of where I'm likely to fall between the 1 - 100. It's ER+ and HER2 equivocal.

E

Moderators

Elizabeth7, welcome to Breastcancer.org! We hope you find this Community to be a place of support and helpful information!

Until you get responses from other members here, you may want to learn more on Oncotype DX Test, how it works, who is eligible for it, etc. Hope this helps!

Come back and let us know how you're doing.

Best wishes form the Mods

BarredOwl

Hi Elizabeth7:

Welcome. Stage and grade are not reliable predictors of Recurrence Score (hence its added value), and even trained medical oncologists have been wrong in their predictions.

Please note that the OncotypeDX test for invasive disease is validated for use in hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative disease. The formal "eligibility" requirements of the commercial supplier reflect this:

"Formal Eligibility" http://breast-cancer.oncotypedx.com/en-US/Professional-Invasive/OncotypeDXBreastCancerAssay/PatientEligibility

HER2 status is either "positive" or "negative" or "equivocal". "Equivocal" is neither positive nor negative, making eligibility for the Oncotype test unclear.

Please confirm your HER2 status with your team.

In general, if HER2 test results are initially "equivocal", then under guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO), further "reflex" testing should be performed by another method. For example, if "equivocal" by IHC, then reflex testing by (F)ISH would be done. In more unusual cases, the HER2 status is difficult to pin down as either positive or negative, and repeat testing of different tissue blocks or more specialized tests may be done.

Please inquire with your medical oncologist regarding the full scope of HER2 testing done to date on biopsy and surgical samples. If the status is still "equivocal", you may wish to request an outside pathology review by an independent expert. Your institution could arrange for this, or you can seek a second opinion pathology review at an independent institution.

Determination of HER2 status as positive or negative is quite important, as it determines receipt of HER2-targeted therapy (which is not offered to HER2-negative patients). In addition, Recurrence Score information should not be used inform decisions about adjuvant systemic treatment in HER2-positive patients under clinical consensus guidelines from ASCO or NCCN.

I am a layperson with no medical training, so please be sure to confirm all information above with your team.

Best,

BarredOwl