From my reading of the original article, the CTS5 online test is actually being used by oncologists now. The text next to the actual on-line test reads: “The CTS5 is an online model for clinicians to predict late distant metastasis for women with ER-positive breast cancer who are recurrence-free 5 years after endocrine therapy. Patients should always seek advice from their doctors when interpreting the results from this tool.”.
Given how little my oncologist brings up with me ( for example, I was the one who asked about the test for ability to metabolise tamoxifen, and at 6 months, I asked what recommendations other than tamoxifen did she have since she hadn’t mentioned any), my approach is to educate myself and be better prepared to discuss things with my oncologist. When my five year mark comes, I will certainly be asking about this test, as well as any others reputable ones that I come across in the meantime.
Wtih so much research into breast cancer, there always seems to be something new. I have noticed, however, that my oncologist will only recommend things that are in the published protocol. For example, she was only happy to go with the tamoxifen metabolism test when I was able to show here the guidelines for how she could treat me differently if the results came back negative. The only recommendation that she has given in addition to tamoxifen is exercise - but she said “I can’t tell you how much to exercise” and take vitamin d with calcium, and that’s it.
Since my mindset changed to active management of my health rather than waiting for medical professionals to fix me - which was my default mode for previous chronic health issues - I’ve been a lot happier and had a much greater sense of control — and much greater trust in the advice that I do take from medical professionals. That’s probably how I’m wired, others will have different viewpoints and experiences.
