My oncologist and breast surgeon sent a specimen of my tumor to have the Oncotype DX Assay test perform. This test will give the health professionals information if chemotherapy is beneficial.

@apgaurin is correct. The younger you are, the greater your risks as well as lymph and nodal involvement. Ask your doctor to also go over a prognostic calculator with you such as www.NewAdjuvantOnline.com so you can make an informed decision based on your own personal stats based on tumor pathology, menopausal status, age and treatment modalities.

Not really. I had really low oncotype scores and still went ahead with chemo.

In my case there were three big things that played a part.

(1) I was 26 when I was diagnosed. All of the accuracy studies for the oncotype had been done with older women (36+), and the doctors at the facility where I received treatment were not sure what the age difference would mean for me.

(2) I had microinvasion on a lymph node out 21.

(3) My tumor turned out to be multifocal.

The thing that really tipped the balance for me was the microinvasion on the lyph-node.

I was Her2Neu positive so they didn't do the Oncotype test on me. it is a great tool, though, because in the past women received chemo and it didn't benefit them yet carries a lot of risks. If you are Her2+ then you already have a higher rate of recurrence and would need Herceptin which is only given alongside chemo. Hope this helps.

I had an oncotype dx done in 2009 with my first diagnosis. The test takes a few weeks to get results and you will get a score. My score was 19 which was in the low intermediate range. I had a very small tumor, stage 1 , no lymph node involvement and with a low intermediate score I decided with my drs that I would radiation and adjuvant therapy. The oncotype is great for early stage cancers because it can prevent you from being over treated. If you have a score in the high range chemo may be recommended, if you are in the low range they may not recommend chemo. My score I could have gone either way but the doctors were leaning against .