Gene tests to find women at high risk of breast cancer returning many years later
Official title: Using gene expression to identify patients at high risk for late breast cancer recurrence
Funded at University of Vermont & St Agric College · NIH-11412218 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks for patterns in tumor gene activity to spot women with ER-positive breast cancer who are more likely to have the cancer come back more than 10 years after initial treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Vermont & St Agric College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Burlington, United States) |
| Project start | September 18, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $204,071 |
| NIH project number | 3R01CA286069-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11412218 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates mirror women with ER-positive, non-metastatic breast cancer treated with surgery and adjuvant therapy, especially those who are 10+ years out from diagnosis or were pre- or postmenopausal at diagnosis.
✕Less likely to help
People with non-ER-positive breast cancers, those with metastatic disease, or those less than 10 years from diagnosis are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this specific project.
What this research studies
This project will compare gene activity in archived tumor samples from women like you who had ER-positive, non-metastatic breast cancer and later experienced a distant recurrence more than 10 years after diagnosis to samples from matched women who stayed recurrence-free. The team will identify 200 late-recurrence cases and 200 matched controls across premenopausal and postmenopausal groups and analyze gene expression using robust ensemble methods with up to 20 years of follow-up data. By focusing on women treated with surgery and adjuvant therapies, they aim to find gene-expression signatures linked specifically to very late recurrence. If such a signature is found, it could be developed into a test to guide who should consider long-term preventive treatments and who might avoid their toxic side effects.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors target long-term preventive therapies to the women most likely to benefit while sparing others unnecessary toxicity.
How similar studies have gone: Some gene-expression tests can predict early recurrence risk, but reliable tests for predicting recurrence beyond 10 years are currently lacking, making this an extension of earlier work.
Where this research is happening
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University of Vermont & St Agric College
Burlington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ahern, Thomas Patrick — University of Vermont & St Agric College
- Study coordinator: Ahern, Thomas Patrick
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Gene expression marks high risk for very late breast cancer return
A patient-focused study aims to find gene patterns that identify women with early breast cancer who are most likely to have cancer come back more than a decade later.
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Using gene expression to identify patients at high risk for late breast cancer recurrence
Researchers are studying breast cancer patients to find gene patterns that predict who might have cancer come back many years later, so doctors can tailor care for those at highest risk.
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Enhancing pre-surgery therapy to prevent breast cancer recurrence
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FoRtitude: an online program to ease fear of cancer recurrence for breast cancer survivors
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Prognostic staging for recurrent breast cancer to guide care
A Duke University-led project aims to create a prognostic classification system for women whose breast cancer has come back, so clinicians can discuss outcomes and plan treatment more clearly.
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Predicting breast cancer recurrence and chemotherapy need using pathology images and AI
A doctor-scientist at a major university is developing an AI-based tool that uses pathology slides to predict which breast cancer patients will benefit from chemotherapy.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.