Post by UCL News

Many people with breast cancer can safely avoid chemotherapy with the use of a gene test, potentially sparing them unnecessary side effects without increasing the risk of the cancer returning, a large international clinical trial led by UCL has found. New findings from the #OPTIMA trial, involving more than 4,400 patients across six countries, show that many people with hormone-sensitive early breast cancer who have a low Prosigna score, a genomic test developed by Veracyte, Inc., can be treated safely without chemotherapy. Presented at American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2026 at the weekend, the results represent a significant step forward for personalised cancer care, with researchers estimating that more than 5,000 NHS patients a year could avoid chemotherapy because of this trial. Chief Investigator of OPTIMA and Professor of Breast Oncology at the UCL Cancer Institute, Professor Rob Stein said: “OPTIMA addresses a long-standing challenge in breast cancer care: identifying who truly benefits from chemotherapy and who does not. Our findings show that many patients can safely avoid chemotherapy without compromising their outcomes." The research was featured on BBC News over the weekend. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ec56RkXn #ASCO26 #BreastCancer #CancerResearch #PersonalisedMedicine #Oncology

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