Day: June 28, 2018

Researchers from the Technical University of Munich have recently announced a new type of treatment that targets drug-resistant tumors. They are testing a new class of drugs, known as SHP2 inhibitors, to treat KRAS tumors. KRAS is a gene that makes the protein SHP2. This KRAS protein plays a part in cell signaling pathways that control cell growth, cell maturation, and cell death. A mutated KRAS gene triggers the KRAS protein to become overly active. Cells with this protein will divide uncontrollably, which leads to tumor formation. The SHP2 inhibitor could potentially help save the lives of patients with pancreatic and lung cancers. Both these cancer types are classified as KRAS tumors.

Current Outlook for Lung and Pancreatic Cancers

According to the American Lung Association, the lung cancer five-year survival rate of 17.7% is lower than many other cancer sites. More than half of patients die within one year of being diagnosed because of drug-resistent tumors. The outlook for people with pancreatic cancer varies depending on the stage of the cancer and whether the patient has undergone surgery. Patients diagnosed earlier and have undergone surgery had a five-year survival rates of up to 60%.

Previously, clinical trials for the development of anti-cancer drugs did not include lung and pancreatic cancers. The genetic error that both these cancer types shared is the hyperactive protein. Neutralizing this hyperactive protein with drugs failed to work and deactivating the SHP2 protein is not a feasible option. The KRAS protein is also essential for the other healthy cells to function.

Professor Hana Algül, a Professor of Tumor Metabolism and Head of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Medizinische Klinik II at University Hospital rechts der Isar, shared:

With the recently developed SHP2 inhibitor, researchers  found another way to win over these drug-resistant tumors.

How Does This New Drug-Resistant Tumors Drug Work?

The treatment plan has a two-pronged mission: remove the rogue protein and introduce the inhibiting drug. The Technical University of Munich (TUM) research team removed the SHP2 protein in one of their model mice. The mice then no longer developed tumors. The research presented more promise as the existing tumors grew more slowly and became easier to control when they introduced the recently developed SHP2 inhibitor.

Potentially, the results of this drug-resistant tumors research can help another issue when dealing with KRAS tumors, that is, the cancer cells becoming resistant to drugs. Katrin Ciecielski, co-researcher of the SHP2 inhibitor study, explains that a class of drugs called MEK inhibitors are available for therapeutic use. Ciecielski shares, “These drugs are effective, but many patients quickly develop resistant cancer cells.”

Hence, the TUM research team tested the SHP2 inhibitor drugs in combination with MEK inhibitors. They found that SHP2 inhibitors can revert MEK inhibitor-resistant cells back to its receptive state. This is another example of how precision medicine is re-shaping medicine and attacking drug-resistant tumors.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. Doctors will diagnose one of two men and one of three women with cancer. And by 2030, there will be an estimated 23.6 million new cases worldwide. The four most common types are lung, bowel, prostate, and female breast cancer. In the US, the top five cancers in women include breast and gynecological cancers. However, it is now possible to target cancer cells at their molecular level. These advancements in the field of precision medicine are making treatment more personalized.

Another Step Forward in Precision Oncology

Researchers created the Human Genome Project in the 1990s to sequence and map out all the human genes. After almost two decades and $3 billion spent, researchers finally completed the project. Nowadays, it takes only 2 weeks and just a few thousand dollars to sequence an entire person’s genome. Doctors and scientists use this process of mapping out a person’s DNA code to understand cancer cells. Through this DNA sequencing process, researchers were able to build The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). This directory was able to catalog 33 different tumor types, including 10 rare types using samples taken from 11,000 patients.

The importance of this cancer database was again highlighted with the April 2018 publication of a study titled A Comprehensive Pan-Cancer Molecular Study of Gynecological and Breast Cancers. Ashton C. Berger headed the research. The gynecological cancer and breast cancer study analyzed the molecular data from 2,579 tumors taken from TCGA. The samples focus on high-grade serous ovarian cystadenocarcinoma, uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma, cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma, uterine carcinosarcoma, and invasive breast carcinoma.

First, the gynecological cancer and breast cancer study recognized 11 new alterations and 11 new mutations not identified in earlier analyses. Second, the study identified a subtype as a potential marker for immunotherapy. Tumor markers are protein products found in blood or urine. They are helpful in the study of cancers as possible predictors of tumor risks. An increase in tumor markers may not always mean cancerous conditions. However, tumor markers can aid in the diagnosis. Lastly, the study could potentially help physicians through its proposed decision tree. Using a dichotomy-based method, doctors will be able to classify patients into one of five subtypes with an accuracy rate of above 80%.

Bold Impacts of this Gynecological Cancer and Breast Cancer Study

The survival rates of patients are slim when the cancer detection happens in its later stage. This can be quite challenging as most cancer types do not have symptoms until its advanced stage. Fortunately, the study significantly contributes to early detection of cancer. Doctors can use the biomarkers identified in this gynecological cancer and breast cancer study as a diagnostic tool for early cancer detection.

Another important contribution of this study is enabling clinicians to personalize the treatments of their patients. It is important to note that the cancer that occurs in one individual can be very different to what occurs in another individual. The reference provided by the decision tree created from this study will help doctors more effectively match the treatment and medication based on the patient’s subtype.

Importantly, the additional classifications and mutations identified in this gynecological cancer and breast cancer study will help develop new drugs and modify existing ones.

In 2018, there will be about 260,000 new breast cancer cases and about 100,000 new cases of gynecological cancers. However, we have made a lot of progress and the numbers are significantly lower. Since 1990, there is 34% reduction in breast cancer mortality rate. The 5-year survival rate is now at 99% and there are currently 3 million breast cancer survivors in the US. Additionally, tests for detecting gynecological cancers are now being used. These tests have reduced the mortality rate in the last 30 years. Forging ahead in the field of precision medicine, this gynecological cancer and breast cancer study helps us move forward.