(Press-News.org) (Lebanon, NH, 03/24/2014)- Dartmouth researchers at its Norris Cotton Cancer Center have compiled a review of the role that information gathered through genetic testing plays in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. The paper entitled "Personalized Therapy for Breast Cancer" was accepted on March 17, 2014, for publication in Clinical Genetics. The paper discusses targeted therapies, new biomarkers, and the quality of commercially available testing methods.
Genomic testing is changing the way breast cancer is diagnosed and treated. By examining a woman's genes to look for specific mutations or biomarkers, treatment can be personalized to the tumor cell's biology and a woman's genetics.
"A personalized approach increases the precision and success of breast cancer treatment," said Gregory Tsongalis, PhD, director of Molecular Pathology at Norris Cotton Cancer Center and lead author of the paper. "Molecular profiling exposes a tumor's Achilles' heel. We can see what messages the tumor cells are receiving and sending. It is a biological intelligence gathering mission in an attempt to interrupt the disease.
According to Tsongalis large scale genetic testing of breast cancer is not yet part of routine clinical care as it is with lung and colon cancers, even though he and his team run a genetics laboratory for routine cancer care. Genetic testing according to Tsongalis is a powerful weapon in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
With results from the genetic testing of a tumor cell's biology, clinicians categorize breast cancer in ways that allow them to select the most effective treatments. Based on genetic biomarkers, there are three categories of breast cancer:
ER-positive breast cancer needs hormones, such as estrogen to grow. Estrogen fuels cancer cell growth, stops cancer cells from dying, and helps the cells lay down roots to maintain blood supply for tumors. ER-positive cancers are less aggressive and often treated with drugs that are selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERM), such as Tamoxifen, Raloxifene, Toremifene and aromatese inhibitors (AIs) such as Letrozole, Anastrozole and Exemestane. SERM drugs block estrogen from telling cancer cells to divide and grow; they have been shown successful in treating as well as preventing ER positive breast cancer. AIs block intake of estrogen in the system and reduce estrogen levels in serum, tissue, and tumor cells. AIs are commonly used in post-menopausal women.
HER2 –positive breast cancer cells contain large amounts of protein that help them grow and multiply. Medications turn off the production of protein to stop tumor growth and kill cancer cells. HER2 treatments include Trastuzumab, Laptinib, Pertuzumab, and Trastuzumab Emtansine.
Triple negative (ER-negative/PR-negative/HER2-negative) breast cancer is the most aggressive type and has the poorest clinical outcome. There is no approved personalized therapy for triple negative, but research has identified six subtypes of tumors. This is the first step in identifying biomarkers that can lead to the development of personalized treatments.
"Genomic testing of breast cancer has expanded our understanding of the disease process and has proven more effective than traditional laboratory tests," said Tsongalis. "At NCCC all of our breast cancer patients are tested for abnormal copies of the HER2 gene using specially designed DNA probes."New biomarkers and the reclassification of cancers based on these biomarkers has led to the development of new, effective treatments that can be personalized to an individual breast cancer patient."
INFORMATION:
Tsongalis operates pathology laboratories at Norris Cotton Cancer Center that conduct routine clinical tests for 50 known genetic mutations on several different types of human cancers. His laboratory also conducts genetic analyses for clinical trials.
About Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Norris Cotton Cancer Center combines advanced cancer research at Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine with patient-centered cancer care provided at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock regional locations in Manchester, Nashua, and Keene, NH, and St. Johnsbury, VT, and at 12 partner hospitals throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. It is one of 41 centers nationwide to earn the National Cancer Institute's "Comprehensive Cancer Center" designation. Learn more about Norris Cotton Cancer Center research, programs, and clinical trials online at cancer.dartmouth.edu.
Researchers issue state-of-the-state on genetic-based testing and treatment for breast cancer
2014-03-25
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Excess weight at 1 year postpartum increases moms' risk for diabetes, heart problems
2014-03-25
TORONTO – 'Watch out for weight gain within a year of giving birth to prevent new risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.' That advice for women comes from a study published today in the journal Diabetes Care.
While it has long been believed that not losing 'baby weight' for several years after pregnancy carries long-term risks of diabetes and heart disease the research team at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, aimed to test this theory by tracking risk factors and weight in the first 12 months after giving birth.
The team led by clinician-researcher Dr. Ravi ...
New drug raises potential for cancer treatment revolution
2014-03-25
A revolution in cancer treatment could soon be underway following a breakthrough that may lead to a dramatic improvement in cancer survival rates.
A new study at the University of Warwick, published today in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, has developed a new drug that can manipulate the body's natural signalling and energy systems, allowing the body to attack and shut down cancerous cells.
Called ZL105, the drug is a compound based on the precious metal iridium. The study has found ZL105 could potentially replace currently used anticancer drugs, ...
Can virtual reality-based therapy help veterans overcome posttraumatic stress disorder?
2014-03-25
New Rochelle, NY, March 25, 2014—Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common among military veterans and together with the often-related anxiety, depression, and psychological and emotional impairment can dramatically affect quality of life. A type of virtual reality (VR) treatment called Graded Exposure Therapy (GET) can improve PTSD symptoms and may also have a positive impact on these associated disorders, as described in an article in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is ...
Electronic medication alerts designed with provider in mind reduce prescribing errors
2014-03-25
INDIANAPOLIS -- Changing how medication alerts are presented in electronic medical records resulted in safer prescribing, increased efficiency and reduced workload for health care providers who placed drug orders in a study published online in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
"The VA electronic medical record system is one of the most widely used and respected EMR systems in the country," said Alissa L. Russ, Ph.D., a human factors engineer who led the study. "This EMR is used by providers at over 150 VA hospitals. We are looking at ways to ...
Pesticides make the life of earthworms miserable
2014-03-25
Pesticides have a direct impact on the physiology and behaviour of earthworms, a Danish/French research team reports after having studied earthworms that were exposed to pesticides over generations.
"We see that the worms have developed methods to detoxify themselves, so that they can live in soil sprayed with fungicide. They spend a lot of energy on detoxifying, and that comes with a cost: The worms do not reach the same size as other worms, and we see that there are fewer of them in sprayed soil. An explanation could be that they are less successful at reproducing, ...
RI Hospital: Number of patients admitted with antibiotic-resistant infections is rising
2014-03-25
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The emergence of community-acquired infections, such as urinary tract infections (UTI), due to strains resistant to common antibiotics are on the rise, according to Rhode Island Hospital researchers. The study is published online in the journal Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control.
"Over the last several years, we've seen an increase in the number of bacteria -- many of which are forms of E. coli -- that are resistant to commonly administered antibiotics," said Leonard Mermel, D.O., medical director of the department of epidemiology and infection ...
Twenty-five percent of breast cancer survivors report financial decline due to treatment
2014-03-25
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Four years after being treated for breast cancer, a quarter of survivors say they are worse off financially, at least partly because of their treatment, according to a new study led by University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers.
In addition, 12 percent reported that they still have medical debt from their treatment.
Financial decline varied significantly by race, with Spanish-speaking Latinas most likely to be impacted. Debt was reported more frequently in English-speaking Latinas and Blacks, the study found. Results appear in ...
Blood test may help predict whether a child will become obese
2014-03-25
Scientists have found that a simple blood test, which can read DNA, could be used to predict obesity levels in children.
Researchers at the Universities of Southampton, Exeter and Plymouth used the test to assess the levels of epigenetic switches in the PGC1a gene – a gene that regulates fat storage in the body.
Epigenetic switches take place through a chemical change called DNA methylation which controls how genes work and is set during early life.
The Southampton team found that the test, when carried out on children at five years old, differentiates between children ...
Kids' books featuring animals with human traits lead to less learning of the natural world
2014-03-25
TORONTO, ON – A new study by University of Toronto researchers has found that kids' books featuring animals with human characteristics not only lead to less factual learning but also influence children's reasoning about animals.
Researchers also found that young readers are more likely to attribute human behaviors and emotions to animals when exposed to books with anthropomorphized animals than books depicting animals realistically.
"Books that portray animals realistically lead to more learning and more accurate biological understanding," says lead author Patricia ...
MRI reveals genetic activity
2014-03-25
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Doctors commonly use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diagnose tumors, damage from stroke, and many other medical conditions. Neuroscientists also rely on it as a research tool for identifying parts of the brain that carry out different cognitive functions.
Now, a team of biological engineers at MIT is trying to adapt MRI to a much smaller scale, allowing researchers to visualize gene activity inside the brains of living animals. Tracking these genes with MRI would enable scientists to learn more about how the genes control processes such as forming ...