Gene test could spare more than 4,000 women chemotherapy a year and save the NHS £4m, experts say

The Prosigna test is currently approved only for post-menopausal women with cancer that has spread to three or fewer nearby lymph nodes. University College London researchers are calling for it to be extended to women from age 40, which would cut costs by £654 per patient. Dr Rob Stein told an oncology conference in Madrid that roughly two-thirds of these patients could safely forgo chemotherapy. Experts anticipate even greater savings over the longer term.

Chemotherapy carries side effects such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss and an elevated risk of infection.

Stein said the test lets patients avoid chemo 'but doing so also saves the NHS money'.

Around 60,000 UK women are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer every year.