"Other recurrence prediction tests such as Oncotype DX (Genomic Health) and Mammaprint (Agendia) have been launched globally and have had significant impact in the industry even though these tests only apply to Stage 1 patients who are lymph node negative, hormone receptor positive. OncoStem's test is a significant innovation in that it can predict recurrences in both lymph node and hormone receptors negative or positive patients and is applicable across all stages of cancer."

The information is this article is not entirely correct -- the Oncotype DX test is being used for hormone receptor positive, in some cases node positive women and for women with greater than stage 1 bc. (I had an oncotype DX test over 7 years ago with stage 2 bc....). See links below:

http://breast-cancer.oncotypedx.com/en-US/Professional-Invasive/WhatIsTheOncotypeDXBreastCancerTest/WhichPatients.aspx

http://breast-cancer.oncotypedx.com/en-US/Professi...

I was under the impression that the oncotype was used to determine how chemo-friendly the tumor was.

The "guess" for recurrence was for 10 years...and I would have to have memory refreshed, but the comparison was with tamoxifen or with tamoxifen and chemo. The hope to know if any of our cancers will recur I think is still not do-able. If these new prognosticating tests do something different from oncotype (besides looking at more genes), it would be interesting.

Very interesting! Thanks CP for keeping us informed!

Hi SpecialK,

You seem really knowledgeable about the Mammaprint. I had the Mammaprint done when I was clinically staged as a stage 1 or 2, turned out I was actually stage 3a. I had the Mammaprint done and that came back as high risk, which has always confused me. My pathology report showed my lobular carcinoma tumor was 95% ER positive, 50% Progesterone positive, KI-67 was less than 5% and I had four positive nodes (2 of which had extracapular extension). I have figured than I have luminal A, but my high risk Mammaprint results confuse me. Do you, or does anyone else on these boards know why I may have a high risk...are there other gene factors that put me at a higher risk? Sorry to ask, but this is always at the back of my mind. My diagnoses was April 2013, so I am close to 2-years out and so far, so good. Thank God.

Karen

Thank you, SpecialK.

I must have read my pathology report 100 times, and yet I don't recall seeing the breakdown of my grade 2 tumor. I will recheck when I get home. I had a double mastectomy 8-years ago (for 3 cm area of DCIS, grade 3 with comedo necrosis and a bit of LCIS in left breast) and a tram flap reconstruction. I got a new primary of ILC on the same side as original cancer, in the little remaining breast tissue I had left, and the ILC grew into the reconstructed flap. I had to get the flap completely removed and I now have implants, so I basically lost my stomach muscles and ended up with implants anyway (sigh).  I forgot to mention that I was HER negative, and my breast surgeon suggests that the cancer was growing for about 3-years. I asked her why my luminal A tumor was considered high risk, per the Mammaprint, and her response was that the tumor was heterogenous and that the Mammaprint results pretty much meant that I would benefit from chemo (in my own mind I thought that ALL cancer is heterogenous) but I am no expert. I also thought (or like to think) that perhaps the Mammaprint factors in my DCIS 8-years ago and the fact that I was under 50 with my second breast cancer diagnosis. I am BRCA negative and breast cancer has never run in my family (mothers side, or fathers side).  I never did see an official Mammprint report, but will ask my BS for it on my next visit. Do you think it could be possible that a tiny LCIS cell grew over a period of 8-years and that my cancer was not a recurrance, but more residual? I've asked my doctors that question and they seem to think that it's a new primary. Guess I'll never really know for sure. The only thing I am sure of is that cancer sucks! lol

Thank you again, SpecialK

Here's to good health for all of us; and for some reason I am very optimistic that a cure to many terrible diseases (including breast cancer) is not too far off.

Karen

Ksil, I am so sorry to read about the recurrence/new primary...whatever "they" define it as.

If I were venturing a guess, I would say a new primary but what do I know. It is a tad unnerving to hear you had bmx for a non-invasive situation and still got an invasive cancer. I am deeply sorry. It freaks me out a bit since I did have invasive cancer and had bmx and there are really no tests being done on me. OY! Best to you.