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More detailed capture of patient’s genetic information can improve cancer outcomes.
Posted On: December 02, 2016
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Canadian researchers are leading a large international initiative aiming to catalogue the genes of 26 different types of cancer in 25,000 patients by 2018.
Each tumour contains a unique combination of cancer genes that determines its behavior and response to treatment. These genetic differences could explain why two patients with a tumour in the same part of the body sometimes respond differently to the same treatment.
Although a tumour carries dozens of different genes that could influence its response to a particular treatment, traditionally patients are tested for only one gene before they are prescribed a treatment.
A team of researchers lead by Dr. Philippe Bedard, a Clinical Researcher at PM Cancer Centre, evaluated whether testing a patient’s tumour for 50 different cancer genes instead of one could improve treatment outcomes in cancer patients.
As part of the study, Dr. Bedard and colleagues examined tumour genes from 1,640 patients with cancers that were no longer responding to standard treatments. The genetic results enabled 5% of patients to be matched to clinical trials evaluating drugs targeting specific cancer genes. The researchers found that the tumour response rate in patients treated on gene-matched trials was twice that in patients treated on trials not matched to their genetic information.
These findings provide promising—albeit preliminary—evidence that more genetic testing can improve outcomes in cancer patients. Of the study Dr. Bedard says, “It’s really exciting that we were able to collaborate as oncologists, laboratory physicians and clinical geneticists to generate and use complex genetic information to improve care for some patients.”
Click here to watch a video of Dr. Bedard explaining the significance of the study.
This work was supported by The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Cancer Care Ontario, the Faculty of Medicine’s Division of Medical Oncology (University of Toronto) and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Stockley TL, Oza AM, Berman HK, Leighl NB, Knox JJ, Shepherd FA, Chen EX, Krzyzanowska MK, Dhani N, Joshua AM, Tsao MS, Serra S, Clarke B, Roehrl MH, Zhang T, Sukhai MA, Califaretti N, Trinkaus M, Shaw P, van der Kwast T, Wang L, Virtanen C, Kim RH, Razak AR, Hansen AR, Yu C, Pugh TJ, Kamel-Reid S, Siu LL, Bedard PL. Molecular profiling of advanced solid tumors and patient outcomes with genotype-matched clinical trials: the Princess Margaret IMPACT/COMPACT trial. Genome Medicine.DOI 10.1186/s13073-016-0364-2. 2016 October 25. [PubMed abstract].
Although a tumour carries dozens of different genes that could influence its response to a particular treatment, traditionally patients are tested for only one gene before they are prescribed a treatment.
A team of researchers lead by Dr. Philippe Bedard, a Clinical Researcher at PM Cancer Centre, evaluated whether testing a patient’s tumour for 50 different cancer genes instead of one could improve treatment outcomes in cancer patients.
As part of the study, Dr. Bedard and colleagues examined tumour genes from 1,640 patients with cancers that were no longer responding to standard treatments. The genetic results enabled 5% of patients to be matched to clinical trials evaluating drugs targeting specific cancer genes. The researchers found that the tumour response rate in patients treated on gene-matched trials was twice that in patients treated on trials not matched to their genetic information.
These findings provide promising—albeit preliminary—evidence that more genetic testing can improve outcomes in cancer patients. Of the study Dr. Bedard says, “It’s really exciting that we were able to collaborate as oncologists, laboratory physicians and clinical geneticists to generate and use complex genetic information to improve care for some patients.”
Click here to watch a video of Dr. Bedard explaining the significance of the study.
This work was supported by The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Cancer Care Ontario, the Faculty of Medicine’s Division of Medical Oncology (University of Toronto) and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Stockley TL, Oza AM, Berman HK, Leighl NB, Knox JJ, Shepherd FA, Chen EX, Krzyzanowska MK, Dhani N, Joshua AM, Tsao MS, Serra S, Clarke B, Roehrl MH, Zhang T, Sukhai MA, Califaretti N, Trinkaus M, Shaw P, van der Kwast T, Wang L, Virtanen C, Kim RH, Razak AR, Hansen AR, Yu C, Pugh TJ, Kamel-Reid S, Siu LL, Bedard PL. Molecular profiling of advanced solid tumors and patient outcomes with genotype-matched clinical trials: the Princess Margaret IMPACT/COMPACT trial. Genome Medicine.DOI 10.1186/s13073-016-0364-2. 2016 October 25. [PubMed abstract].