The 21-Gene Recurrence Score Assay (Oncotype DX™) in Estrogen Receptor-Positive Male Breast Cancer: Experience in an Israeli Cohort

Objective: The 21-gene recurrence score (RS) assay has been widely adopted for use in early estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer to assess the risk for distant recurrence and the potential benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy. The primary aim of this study was to assess RS distribution in Israeli male breast cancer (MBC) patients. Methods: The study population included 65 newly diagnosed Israeli MBC patients. Clinical and pathologic data were collected at the time of referral. Pathologic examinations were conducted at the pathology departments of the referring centers. The RS assay (Oncotype DX (TM)) was performed on paraffin-embedded tumor samples at Genomic Health laboratories. Results: The mean age of the patients was 65.1 years (range 38-88 years). Low-risk (RS <18), intermediate-risk (RS 18-30) and high-risk (RS >= 31) scores were noted in 29 patients (44.6%), 27 patients (41.5%) and 9 patients (13.9%), respectively. The distribution of RS in male patients was similar to the distribution in 2,455 female patients from Israel referred during the same time period. Conclusion: Our data suggest that the distribution of Oncotype DX RS in ER-positive MBC patients is similar to that of female breast cancer patients. (C) 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel