Recent advancements in the research of hormone therapy resistance in advanced estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancers has revealed important considerations for future treatment.
A key breakthrough from the research is the identification of a specific mechanism that allows these cancers to resist treatment. Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research in London have discovered that mutations in the estrogen receptor gene (ESR1), particularly a mutation called F404 along with other mutations, lead to a strong resistance to the hormone therapy drug fulvestrant.
This insight is crucial for understanding how secondary breast cancer can become resistant to hormone therapies.
Furthermore, the article brings hope by highlighting that cells with these resistance-causing mutations are still sensitive to new compounds currently undergoing clinical trials.
This also suggests that these drugs, once approved, could offer new treatment options for patients likely to develop resistance, potentially improving their quality of life and survival rates.
Another significant aspect of this discovery is its implication for personalized medicine. The possibility of using simple blood tests to identify patients at risk of developing resistance to treatment and matching them with alternative therapies could revolutionize breast cancer treatment. This approach moves away from the generic treatment model to a more personalized, patient-focused strategy.
The research found that about 4% of breast cancers treated with fulvestrant develop new mutations in the ESR1 gene, which hinder the drug’s effectiveness. The study also showed that cells resistant to fulvestrant were responsive to four different hormone therapies currently being tested, indicating these could be viable treatment options.
This is significant news for future exploration of other potential therapeutic targets, such as the B7 H3 protein, which is involved in tumor growth, spread, and drug resistance. This could open new avenues for immunotherapy in treating breast cancer.
This research lays a solid groundwork for future studies and drug development, aiming for better patient outcomes.