Dr. Soliman on Impact of MammaPrint in Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Hatem Soliman, MD, associate member of The Center for Women’s Oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center discusses the prospective registry IMPACt study, which measured the impact of the MammaPrint 70-gene Breast Cancer Recurrence Assay in the routine management of women with early-stage breast cancer.

The intent of the trial was to gauge how the results given by MammaPrint were changing the treatment recommendation for patients. MammaPrint tests the tissue of patients to determine whether they are high risk or low risk through a high or low score, which is interpreted by physicians in coordination with treatment options.

Patients who participated in the study were predominately hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative. Those who were eligible and consented to a tissue test would receive a result of either a high Mammaprint score or a low Mammaprint score.

Physicians were surveyed prior to the test to see what their recommended treatment option was for a their respective patients, as well as their decision-making process on whether or not to administer chemotherapy.

After the test was complete, results were given to the physician to discuss with the patients. That discussion and ultimate decision would be recorded to see whether or not there was a change in recommendations of treatment for the patients.

There was a significant proportion of patients who were recommended chemotherapy by their physicians prior to the test, but after the MammaPrint results were discussed, those who received a low MammaPrint score were recommended to receive endocrine therapy if they were HR-positive. Conversely, those who were not intially recommended chemotherapy and received a high MammaPrint score were then recommended to have adjuvant chemotherapy.

Currently, researchers are looking at MammaPrint in smaller subsets, such as those with patients with small tumors that are triple-negative or HER2-positive, as well.