Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer and a leading cause of cancer death among Canadian women. In the early stage, the decision to administer adjuvant chemotherapy after breast surgery depends on clinical and pathological factors and is sometimes subjective to the preferences of clinicians and patients. However, certain biological characteristics of breast cancer can indicate whether the cancer is likely to grow quickly or spread to another part of the body. Genomic tests focused on these characteristics will be helpful to identify cases in which chemotherapy will be beneficial and thus avoid unnecessarily exposing patients to the side effects of treatment. A new generation of genomic tests will give the possibility to carry out analyzes directly in the pathology laboratories of Quebec establishments, to optimize treatments and increase the efficiency of the system. The added value of these tests in therapeutic decision-making in a real Quebec clinical context remains will be demonstrated.
User: Julie Lemieux, Christine Desbiens, Brigitte Poirier (CHU de Québec)