Gene tests to find women at high risk of breast cancer returning many years later
Using gene expression to identify patients at high risk for late breast cancer recurrence
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 ID | NIH-11412218 on NIH RePORTER |
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.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: 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.
Not a fit: 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.
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 performed: 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
Burlington, United States
- 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
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 below.