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The mutations that cause esophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) have been mapped with an unprecedented level of detail – revealing that more than half could be targeted by drugs currently being tested for others. types of cancer.
This research, published today in Nature Genetics, could help stratify patients with esophageal cancer to give them more personalized treatments. This could offer options that are not currently available to patients beyond chemotherapy, radiotherapy or standard surgery.
Researchers at Cancer Research UK at the University of Cambridge used whole genome sequencing and whole exome sequencing * to map mutations in OAC, the main subtype of cancer of the esophagus in England.
In the study, 99% of the patients had been mutated by ocular aortic cancer and more than 50% of them were sensitive to drugs (CDK4 / 6 inhibitors) already at the stage. clinical trials for bad cancer. This means that Phase II / III clinical trials to treat esophageal cancer could be feasible within one to two years.
Interestingly, it was found that women had more KRAS ** mutations than men. These mutations are often seen in other types of cancer, but rarely in esophageal cancer. This could indicate a different subtype of the disease in women and suggest that they may have a different prognosis or be eligible for other treatments.
Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, a British scientist funded by Cancer Research and a senior researcher at the MRC Cancer Unit, said: "This research could completely change the paradigm of giving esophageal cancer patients the same chemotherapy that we do not always know, to treatments more focused on the individual characteristics of a patient's cancer.
"We are designing clinical trials that provide real-time badysis of patient genes to provide patients with the best treatment based on their own genome.
"This research could also offer better options for older patients, more likely to develop esophageal cancer and who often are not fit enough for current treatment options."
Only about 12% of patients survive esophageal cancer for 10 years or more ***. This is due in part to a late diagnosis because the symptoms often do not manifest until the cancer is advanced, and partly because of limited treatment options. Scientists have found that more and more people are developing watercolor cancer in several countries in Western Europe, including the UK – risk factors include obesity and smoking. ****.
Professor Karen Vousden, Chief Scientist of Cancer Research UK, said: "Such research is crucial to improving treatment options and survival for patients with difficult-to-treat cancer, such as cancer." esophagus.
"Understanding what mutations are causing the disease could lead to targeted treatments and earlier detection, something that would never have been possible without the huge technological advances."
Cancer Research UK is committed to funding more research on hard-to-treat cancers, such as esophageal cancer, by increasing spending from £ 5 million four years ago to £ 16 million this year. year *****. In the UK, esophageal cancer is the thirteenth cancer in importance and the seventh leading cause of cancer deaths in the UK ******.
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For media inquiries, please contact Angharad Kolator Baldwin at Cancer Research UK Press Office on 020 3469 8456 or, outside office hours, 07050 264 059.
Notes to the editor:
The Cancer Research UK International Conference on Cancer of the Esophagus will be held in London from 29 to 30 April 2019, under the direction of Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald.
Frankell, A., et al. The selection landscape in 551 esophageal adenocarcinomas defines genomic biomarkers for the clinic. Nature Genetics
* Whole genome sequencing is a method for determining the order of nucleotides in the DNA of an organism, including chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA. Complete exome sequencing is a technique for sequencing all the genes encoding a protein in the genome of an individual.
** KRAS is a gene involved in cell signaling. When it works, it normally controls cell proliferation.
The incidence of ODS is highest among 85-89 year olds (2013-15). Source: https: /
*** People with esophageal cancer in England and Wales (2010-11). Source: https: /
**** https: /
***** Cancer Research UK Annual Report (2017-2018).
****** accounting for 5% of all cancer deaths (2016). Source: https: /
This research was conducted as part of a multi-center consortium comprising the International Consortium on the Cancer Genome (ICGC) and the Study Group of Molecular and Clinical Layeration of Esophageal Cancer (OCCAMS). The project was funded by Cancer Research UK.
About Cancer Research UK
- Cancer Research UK is the world's largest cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.
- The pioneering work of Cancer Research UK in preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer has saved millions of lives.
- Cancer Research UK does not receive any funding from the UK government for life-saving research. Every step he takes to defeat cancer is based on vital gifts from the public.
- Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of progress that has already seen survival double in the UK over the past 40 years.
- Today, 2 out of 4 people survive at least 10 years of cancer. The ambition of Cancer Research UK is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, 3 out of 4 people will survive their cancer for at least 10 years.
- Cancer Research UK supports research on all aspects of cancer through the work of more than 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.
- Cancer Research UK is working with its partners and supporters to announce the day when all cancers will be cured.
For more information on the work of Cancer Research UK or to find out how to support this charity, call 0300 123 1022 or visit http: // www.
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