Categories: GenesFX
      Date: Oct 23, 2009
     Title: Higher Recurrence Risk of Breast Cancer for some

The recurrence risk of breast cancer in individuals treated with tamoxifen is associated with their CYP2D6 genetic status.


Tamoxifen is a medication given to patients for the treatment of different types of breast cancer.

A recent article published in the Journal of American Medical Association highlighted the importance of having a pharmacogenomic testing of CYP2D6 gene prior to tamoxifen treatments.

The study aimed to determine whether CYP2D6 genetic status are associated with clinical outcomes in these women receiving the treatments.

1,325 people participated in the study and upon 9 years follow-up, the study found that the recurrence risk of breast cancer is:
14.9% in individuals who are extensive metabolisers of CYP2D6
20.9% in individuals who are intermediate metabolisers of CYP2D6
29.0% in individuals who are poor metabolisers of CYP2D6

This study clearly demonstrates that knowing your genetic status prior to tamoxifen treatment will benefit patients, minimising the risk of tamoxifen treatment failure and improving the overall outcome.

For the complete abstract of the article, please follow this link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19809024