SBIR Phase II: Multi-Marker Prognostic Test for Breast Cancer Outcome

This Small Bbusiness Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to continue the validation of a set of markers for predicting recurrence and guiding the selection of treatment in stage I-III breast cancer patients. Upon removal of their primary stage I-III operable tumors, breast cancer patients must decide whether or not to receive adjuvant therapy such as chemotherapy, or hormone therapy. Currently, the physician and patient can arrive at the decision by relying on several published guidelines whose accuracy is limited by the fact that they are based on general clinicopathologic data such as tumor size and grade. Thus the majority of patients are recommended to receive adjuvant therapy, although only a small fraction of them benefit from it. Availability of a set of reliable markers that can predict recurrence of tumors would allow tailoring of adjuvant therapy for each patient and is thus likely to reduce the chances of under-treatment and over-treatment. As such, it would be of great benefit to cancer patients, as well as to oncologists.