Charles Perou on Biomarker Assay Use in ASCO Breast Cancer Guideline

Charles M. Perou, PhD, May Goldman Shaw Distinguished Professor of Molecular Oncology, professor of Genetics, and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, discusses the biomarker assay results as described in the ASCO breast cancer guideline.

Prior to publishing the recommendations, ASCO examined various gene expression tests to determine how they should be used for patients based on their intrinsic subtype, Perou explains. The guideline also provides the level of evidence for each test. This is helpful for practitioners, he adds, as several tests are similar but have varying levels of evidence.

For one of the tests, the PAM50 risk of recurrence score—which Perou helped develop—ASCO determined that this test had a good level of evidence to be used to make adjuvant systemic therapy decisions in the node-negative setting for patients with estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.