A treatment for the most deadly form of breast cancer through molecular screening could be closer to realization following new research, whose findings have been published in a leading medical journal.
The study by AURORA Europe, an international academic research program covering 60 hospitals in 11 countries looked at the molecular and clinical features of tumors to help researchers better understand metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and how it evolves. MBC, which is incurable, is the leading worldwide cancer-related cause of death among women. It claimed some 685,000 victims in 2020.
The study collected primary and metastatic tumor samples and used them to study the molecular changes that occur when breast cancer first starts to spread and as the disease develops.
The study was published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Looking at 381 patients, researchers have found molecular changes that are common in metastatic samples, including mutations in driver genes and in copy number variations.
AURORA also has the largest dataset of RNA sequencing in MBC. It shows that in many cases, the breast cancer intrinsic subtype changes as the MBC progresses. These findings have shed light on the molecular progression of the disease.
It is nevertheless unclear why some patients with MBC survive longer than others but those with a high tumor mutational burden (TMB) in their primary tumors had shorter overall survival prospects, a potentially important step in understanding survival rates.
The Co-Principal Investigator of AUROROA, Dr. Mafalda Oliveira, explained the potential of the findings: “The knowledge that is being generated within AURORA paves the way towards the development of new treatment strategies for patients with metastatic breast cancer. We are firmly committed to continue this effort so that our patients may live longer and better in the near future.