CardiovascularBreakthrough Breast Cancer Scientists Develop New Method To Predict Patient Response To Herceptin
Breakthrough Breast Cancer scientists have taken a significant step towards personalising cancer treatment by developing a new method to predict a patient"s response to the drug Herceptin.
Scientists based in Edinburgh are the first to use computer modelling to predict individual responses to cancer treatment. The results are published in the journal Cancer Research on 28 July 2009.
Lead scientist, pathologist Dr Dana Faratian from the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit, at the University of Edinburgh, said: "This work is a major step forward because despite Herceptin benefiting thousands of women, it does not work for some patients.
"The impact of this new approach could be huge. It shows we can use computer modelling to answer clinical questions and potentially refine the treatment of women with breast cancer."
The team devised a mathematical model to represent the interactions of 56 different molecules involved in breast cancer. The scientists identified that the amount of the protein PTEN in a cell was related to resistance to anti-HER2 therapy. This model was confirmed in breast cancer cells grown in the laboratory.
The scientists examined 122 samples of metastatic breast cancer tumours treated with Herceptin. They demonstrated that the amount of PTEN was related to overall survival and patients whose breast cancer tumours had high levels of PTEN survived on average 22 months longer than those with low levels.
Researchers now need to find ways to translate these findings on predicting a patient"s response to Herceptin from the laboratory into a test that could work in the clinic.
These important results would not have been possible without the use of the amazingly powerful AQUA microscope. Costing ÷£150,000 and one of a very small number in the UK, it allows scientists to see where and how much of a protein is in a cell.
About one in five of the nearly 46,000 cases of breast cancer in the UK are HER2 positive and those women may be offered Herceptin as part of their treatment. Herceptin has made a major impact in breast cancer treatment but clinical trials have shown that some HER2 positive breast cancer patients may not respond to Herceptin or become resistant to the drug.
These results come just a year after the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Edinburgh Research Unit was opened by Breakthrough"s Patron, HRH The Prince of Wales.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer"s research is funded almost entirely by voluntary donations.
About Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is the UK"s leading charity committed to fighting breast cancer through research, campaigning and education. In 1999 Breakthrough established the UK"s first dedicated breast cancer research centre. The Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre is housed in the Mary-Jean Mitchell Green building at The Institute of Cancer Research in association with the Royal Marsden Hospital.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer campaigned for Herceptin to be made available on the NHS to all breast cancer patients who may benefit from it.
About the Breakthrough Breast Cancer University of Edinburgh Research Unit at the Western General Hospital
Scientists at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Edinburgh Research Unit carry out research using human breast cancer tissue samples. They use cutting-edge technology to examine biological changes in these tumours and develop new treatments for this form of the disease. They are particularly interested in drug resistance - when a treatment stops working. They aim to find ways to overcome or avoid this problem. Ultimately, this will ensure women are treated in the most appropriate and effective way for their particular cancer, potentially benefiting thousands of women in Scotland and across the UK.
The research in this paper was funded by Breakthrough Breast Cancer with support from the BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council).
Breakthrough Breast Cancer