Association Between Oncotype DX Recurrence Score and Clinicopathological Variables in Breast Cancer Patients

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Clinicopathological variables are important factors in deciding on breast cancer treatment. This study evaluated the association between the recurrence score generated by the Oncotype DX® 21-gene assay and classic clinicopathological variables. Methods: A single-institution retrospective study on 44 Iraqi breast cancer patients was conducted using the Oncotype DX test at Baghdad Oncology Teaching Hospital. Patients positive for estrogen receptor and negative for ERBB2 (HER2/neu) were included. The cases were divided into three groups of low-, intermediate-, and high-risk according to the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Risk Score and were compared on clinicopathological variables. Results: Of the 44 women included in this study, low, intermediate, and high recurrence scores were noted in 16 (36.4%), 16 (36.4%), and 12 (27.2%) patients, respectively. The mean age of participants was 49.3 years, and the median size of the tumor was 2.3 cm. None of the examined clinicopathological variables were statistically associated with the recurrence risk score. Conclusion: This study indicated that standard clinicopathological variables are not good predictors of early-stage breast cancer recurrence. Because of the high cost of the Oncotype DX test, its incorporation in breast cancer protocols needs stronger evidence.