NIH launches
trial to find best breast cancer treatment

The National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute this week launched a study seeking to better understand the genetic links to breast cancer and how those genes might be used to help determine the best course of treatment, The Wall Street Journal reports. The study, called "Trial Assigning Individualized Options for Treatment," will include more than 10,000 U.S. and Canadian women who've been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Each woman will undergo genetic tests to examine the role of 21 key genes in predicting breast cancer recurrence. The study participants will be divided into treatment groups--those receiving hormonal therapy, those receiving chemotherapy, and those receiving a combination of the two. The women will be followed for up to 20 years. The researchers hope to determine links between certain gene mutations and the most effective treatments to prevent breast cancer recurrence based on those mutations. ( The Advocate )