Hundreds of Quebec women with breast cancer will likely have to be retested to see whether they're receiving the correct treatment, the province's order of physicians said.
The professional regulatory body has struck a committee to review recent breast cancer cases and prescribed treatment, said order secretary Yves Robert.
Quebec's Health Ministry asked the order to follow up on a study released last week that suggested up to 30 per cent of tests done on breast cancer patients may have produced wrong results.
The hormone receptor tests help identify the type of breast cancer, which determines what kind of treatment to prescribe.
Elise Zylinksa, a Montrealer, said she's very worried about her current treatment plan for breast cancer.
Zylinksa is taking tamoxifen after undergoing a double mastectomy last year, but wonders if she is risking her health by taking a drug she may not need.
"First of all [tamoxifen] pushes you right into menopause," she told CBC News. "The biggest complaint most women have is hot flashes. There's also a risk of having cervical cancer."
Women with breast cancer who are concerned about the validity of their test results should talk to their doctor, Robert said.
The review will take a few weeks, and women who may need a new hormone receptor test will be contacted at that point.
