数以千计的乳腺癌治疗可能路线错误

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Inaccurate Lab Tests Might Lead To Inappropriate Treatment Of Breast Cancer

Thousands of breast cancer patients might receive improper medications as a result of inaccurate results for two laboratory tests used to determine the most effective treatments for specific patients, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to the Journal, pharmaceutical companies are \"trying to develop more medicines tailored to the individual characteristics of patients and their diseases,\" but recent studies that have found \"problems in testing point to a potential snag for such drugs: They depend on accurate lab results.\"

The tests used to determine the most effective treatments for specific breast cancer patients are \"less straightforward than many traditional lab procedures\" and \"require pathologists to make judgment calls after looking at tissue through a microscope, rather than giving simple yes-or-no answers,\" the Journal reports. One of the tests determines whether breast cancer patients have excessive amounts of the protein Her-2 present in their tumors, an indication that they would benefit from Herceptin, manufactured by Genentech.

The second test determines whether breast cancer patients have cell proteins that serve as receptors for estrogen and progesterone -- which can help tumors grow -- an indication that they would benefit from tamoxifen to suppress or block the hormones.
一个试验是由Genentech组织的，他们的研究提示Her-2表达过量的乳腺癌患者可能会受益于赫塞汀治疗；另一个试验提示，雌激素、孕激素受体阳性的乳腺癌患者可能受益于他莫西芬治疗，以为该药可以抑制或者阻断激素。