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NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 11:38
From now on, basic health insurance will cover tests that can predict the risk of breast cancer returning in women over the age of fifty. The Dutch Healthcare Institute say that this means that five hundred women every year can safely refrain from chemotherapy.
According to the institute, these are women with early breast cancer with specific characteristics of the tumor and little to no metastases.
Women with this specific type of breast cancer have a good chance of survival. After treatment, for example surgery or radiation, they often also receive chemotherapy to reduce the chance of recurrence. Sometimes chemotherapy is not started if a risk assessment shows that the chance of recurrence is small. If there is any doubt as to whether chemotherapy is useful, one of the tests can be done, which will from now on be reimbursed by basic insurance.
Mapping genes
It’s about the tests MammaPrint in Oncotype DX. These tests map the genes of the tumor and use this to predict the risk of the cancer coming back. The tests are additional to the standard risk assessment.
earlier the tests were not reimbursed by basic health insurance because, according to the Dutch Healthcare Institute, there was not sufficient evidence that women could safely refrain from additional chemotherapy. In some cases the tests were carried out, but this was paid for from a hospital fund.
Avoid overtreatment
In a small group of breast cancer patients who are in the early stages of the disease, with a maximum of three metastases, there is often doubt about the actual benefit of additional treatment with chemotherapy. This says Mustafa Coşkuntürk, internist-oncologist at the Alexander Monro Hospital in Bilthoven, which specializes in breast cancer.
He laid in it NOS Radio 1 News how the tests work. “Seventy genes in breast cancer tissue are examined. By analyzing genes with high and low risk, the risk of the disease returning is determined.”
Coşkuntürk is happy that the tests are reimbursed. He sometimes has conversations with colleagues and patients about the added value of chemotherapy. “Chemotherapy has an impact on a patient. With the tests we can safely refrain from additional treatment with chemotherapy to prevent overtreatment.”
Sjaak Wijma, chairman of the Dutch Healthcare Institute, calls the decision an example of appropriate care. “Thanks to these tests, we are really doing something about the overtreatment of cancer patients. No more unpleasant side effects and therefore more quality of life. These women can recover faster and get their lives back on.”
According to the Healthcare Institute of the Netherlands, including the tests in basic health insurance is also good for society. “Preventing overtreatment leads to fewer unnecessary healthcare costs and better deployment of scarce healthcare personnel.”
2023-10-30 10:38:39
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