Development of a test to guide breast cancer treatment

A new blood test could tell thousands of breast cancer patients each year whether chemotherapy will actually help them after surgery. The DDRD Breast Assay, developed by Almac Diagnostics, identifies which patients with early-stage, node-negative breast cancer are likely to benefit from standard chemotherapy and which are not. Patients who test “positive” are roughly four times less likely to relapse than those who test “negative”, giving clinicians and patients concrete information to guide treatment decisions. Currently, many women receive chemotherapy that offers them little or no benefit, exposing them to harsh side effects unnecessarily. This test aims to spare those patients from toxic treatments while ensuring that those who truly need chemotherapy receive it. The project will validate the assay for CE marking, then launch it in the UK private health market and establish a registry. The team will also gather evidence on clinical utility and cost-effectiveness to support a submission to NICE, with the goal of making the test available on the NHS. If approved, the test could become a routine part of post-surgery care, quietly reshaping how breast cancer treatment is personalised across the UK.