Chemotherapy or not? Cash registers pay the test
Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for
More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.Whether chemotherapy makes sense for breast cancer depends on the risk of relapse. An expensive biomarker test can determine this. Now the cash registers take over the costs.
If breast cancer is discovered at an early stage, the tumor can often be removed completely. Even so, there is a risk of relapse. For this reason, many patients experience stressful chemotherapy after the operation. It is supposed to eliminate undetected cancer cells in the body and prevent them from relapse.
Treatment with side effects
Chemotherapy is associated with considerable side effects: hair loss, destruction of blood and mucous membrane cells, a weakened immune system, nausea and vomiting. Then there is the psychological stress of the treatment. And there is also a threat of long-term consequences such as heart damage and infertility. It is not an easy decision to make a decision as to whether the advantages or disadvantages of chemotherapy outweigh the disadvantages.
Avoid unnecessary chemotherapy
A biomarker test helps doctors and patients to better assess the risk of relapse. The Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence examines the characteristics of the tumor on the basis of removed cancer cells. The so-called gene expression test shows, for example, whether certain genes that make a relapse more likely are particularly active.
The test can identify women with a rather low risk of relapse. Your doctor will advise you against chemotherapy. The procedure is intended to avoid unnecessary treatments.
Health insurance companies pay biomarker test
The test has been on the market since 2009. The cost is around 3000 euros. So far, patients have had to pay for the test out of their own pocket. Since a decision by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) on June 20, the statutory health insurance companies have taken over the costs. The resolution came into effect on August 23.
It is suitable for patients in whom the tumor is limited to a certain area and has not yet spread to other tissues or organs. You can take the test as a cash benefit.
20,000 patients benefit
Every year 70,000 women develop breast cancer and 18,000 die from it. Five to ten breast cancer patients will relapse within ten years of the operation. An estimated 20,000 patients can benefit from the biomarker test annually.
Tags: healthy feet drugs prevention
