When comparing recurrence scores in the United States, investigators found that Black women were more likely to have a high-risk recurrence score and to die of axillary node-negative breast cancer than were non-Hispanic White women with comparable scores, according to data published in JAMA Oncology.
The research team explained that genomic assays for identifying candidates for adjuvant chemotherapy need to be calibrated for populations with greater racial/ethnic diversity because the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test currently has low prognostic accuracy in Black women.
“This study suggests that Black women in the [United States] with [estrogen receptor (ER)–]positive, ERBB2-negative, axillary lymph node-negative breast cancer are more likely to have a high-risk [recurrence score] and to experience breast cancer–specific mortality compared with non-Hispanic White women…
