Forum Discussion

9 Replies

  • I've been tracking this for the last few days. It, sort of, follows the same rationale that changed the approaches to prostate cancer a few years ago.
    There is no doubt that some cancers patients are over treated. The question is who, and how do you change entrenched ideas about what minimises risk. I've had a dozen people send me that link this week. It is irrelevant to my circumstance; but hey, you didnt really need chemo.Thanks.
    Pretty much everyone who ends up here gets the ''Every case is different" lecture along with advice that Dr Google is not your friend. Please be mindful that media hype that we may have been unnecessarily poisoned makes great click bait but may not be accurate for everyone.
  • Yes I saw this on the news this morning :/ America has been doing this test for years, I asked about it before I agreed with having Chemo to be told by my Onc, it's an extremely expensive test and wouldnt be that helpful in my circumstance. As Id had a recurrence already, I dont know if that test would have been accurate as every specialist I had were gobsmacked at my recurrence, like it was literally impossible as I was so over treated it was ridiculous. 

    I like the idea of women being spared, as I think there has to be another way to deal with it as the long term effects of treatment is debilitating and life changing for many of us and you have to wonder about what quality you are left with? I always said it wasnt the cancer that was a problem, that was taken out, it was the treatment. Oh well it's done now..but heres to a better way of doing things.
  • Apparently the American company that makes the test has approached the government 5 times to get it out on Medicare and they have been knocked back. 
  • @"Kiwi Angel" Same in Melbourne. It's a big deal. And I reckon the bean counters will be on to it pretty quick. If subsidising the expensive oncotype test outweighs the costs of chemo for the projected number of early breast cancer diagnoses who'd be prescribed chemo, it'll be subsidised.
  • @kmakm they just mentioned this in the news so I’ll have to watch it when it comes in. 
  • @kmakm. Seeing the conversations on this forum I could see the majority of people not doing chemo if they didn’t have to as u can see the terror in their words at the thought of it. I’m just an in for a penny in for a pound kind of girl and I still don’t trust that all this will stop it coming back. 
  • @"Kiwi Angel" It would be interesting to see how many would still opt for chemotherapy if they were told it would have no effect on their cancer. Would having chemo even still be an option in this scenario? 'First do no harm' etc.
  • @kmakm. I was offered the expensive test but couldn’t afford it as it wouldn’t of changed my decision. I didn’t have to have chemo but like the woman in the article I wanted to mop up any stray cells that could be lurking somewhere else. I wanted to be as cancer free as I could and she said it it came back again it wouldn’t be curative.