Moffitt researchers develop process to help personalize treatment for lung cancer patients

The analysis process identifies oncogenic driver genes that physicians can use to determine the best targeted therapy

2014-06-03

(Press-News.org) TAMPA, Fla. (June 3, 2014) – Moffitt Cancer Center researchers, in collaboration with the Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium, have developed a process to analyze mutated genes in lung adenocarcinoma to help better select personalized treatment options for patients. Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer in the United States with approximately 130,000 people diagnosed each year.

The study, published in the May 21 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, investigated 10 highly mutated and altered genes that contribute to cancer progression, termed oncogenic driver genes, in more than 1,000 lung cancer patients. Patients with adenocarcinoma have a high probability of having mutated oncogenic driver genes in their tumors.

As new oncogenic driver genes are identified, the testing process becomes less efficient because more genes need to be analyzed in limited amounts of tumor tissue. The researchers developed a process to analyze multiple genes at one time with small amounts of patient tissue. They found that 64 percent of lung adenocarcinoma patients had at least one oncogenic driver gene.

Patients who had mutations were offered therapies targeted to their specific mutation. The researchers found that those patients who had targeted treatment against an oncogenic driver gene survived longer than those patients who did not.

"Precision medicine is the future of cancer care. We are continuing this study by attempting to profile all advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients for driver genes to match them with appropriate therapies," explained Eric B. Haura, M.D., director of Moffitt's Lung Cancer Center of Excellence. "We'd like to extend this further to examine for driver genes in other types of lung cancer, such as squamous cell lung cancer."

The researchers also plan to use this technology to study drug resistance and are developing additional platforms to guide decision making in the clinic.

Since the Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium trial began in 2009, many patients are now tested for mutated or altered genes before treatment. This study is the first of its kind that supports the concept that the simultaneous analysis of genetic mutations is possible with the goal of delivering more personalized medicine.

INFORMATION: The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (HSS NIH 1RC2CA148394-010).

About Moffitt Cancer Center Located in Tampa, Moffitt is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt's excellence in research, its contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Moffitt is the No. 1 cancer hospital in Florida and has been listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Hospitals" for cancer since 1999. With more than 4,200 employees, Moffitt has an economic impact on the state of nearly $2 billion. For more information, visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the Moffitt momentum on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

How long is too long to wait for groundbreaking aortic valve replacement surgery?

2014-06-03

Philadelphia, PA, June 3, 2014 – Severe aortic stenosis (AS) has a grave prognosis with 25-50% of patients dying within a year once symptoms develop. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) represents a paradigm shift in the therapeutic options for these patients. Because of cost and availability issues, there are often waiting times for this procedure. Investigators have found that even modest increases in wait times have a substantial impact on the effectiveness of TAVR in individuals who need it the most: otherwise inoperable patients and high-risk surgical candidates. ...

Stress hormone receptors localized in sweet taste cells

2014-06-03

PHILADELPHIA (June 3, 2014) – According to new research from the Monell Center, receptors for stress-activated hormones have been localized in oral taste cells responsible for detection of sweet, umami, and bitter. The findings suggest that these hormones, known as glucocorticoids, may act directly on taste receptor cells under conditions of stress to affect how these cells respond to sugars and certain other taste stimuli. "Sweet taste may be particularly affected by stress," said lead author M. Rockwell Parker, PhD, a chemical ecologist at Monell. "Our results may provide ...

'Cool' factor separates e-cigarettes from nicotine inhalers

2014-06-03

Why are e-cigarettes so popular among Americans who want to quit smoking, even though so little is known about their safety or effectiveness? The answer lies in their marketing – they are simply "cooler" than nicotine inhalers. So says Michael Steinberg of the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in the USA, leader of a pilot study¹ about the perception and use of these nicotine delivery devices. The findings appear in the Journal of General Internal Medicine², published by Springer. Nicotine inhalers work when nicotine vapor is breathed in and absorbed through ...

Night owls may be more sedentary, less motivated to exercise

2014-06-03

DARIEN, IL – A new study suggests that night owls are more sedentary and feel that they have a harder time maintaining an exercise schedule. Results show that later sleep times were associated with more self-reported minutes sitting, and sleep timing remained a significant predictor of sedentary minutes after controlling for age and sleep duration. However, people who characterized themselves as night owls reported more sitting time and more perceived barriers to exercise, including not having enough time for exercise and being unable to stick to an exercise schedule ...

More than 10 percent of heart attack patients may have undiagnosed diabetes

2014-06-03

At least 10 percent of people who have a heart attack may have undiagnosed diabetes, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2014. Researchers studied data on 2,854 heart attack patients who did not have a known diagnosis of diabetes in 24 U.S. hospitals to understand the prevalence and recognition of undiagnosed diabetes. They tested the patients' A1C levels, which is a standard test to determine blood sugar levels for the past 2-3 months. Researchers found: Among the patients, ...

Chinese stroke patients fare better when hospitals follow guidelines

2014-06-03

Chinese stroke patients were less likely to acquire pneumonia or die from the stroke when hospitals followed treatment guidelines, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2014. Closer adherence to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke led to a drop in pneumonia from 20 percent to almost 5 percent. However, only 55.5 percent of patients received all guideline-recommended treatments for which they were eligible. Developed with ...

Vanishing da Vinci

2014-06-03

WASHINGTON D.C. June 3, 2014 -- One of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpieces, drawn in red chalk on paper during the early 1500s and widely believed to be a self-portrait, is in extremely poor condition. Centuries of exposure to humid storage conditions or a closed environment has led to widespread and localized yellowing and browning of the paper, which is reducing the contrast between the colors of chalk and paper and substantially diminishing the visibility of the drawing. A group of researchers from Italy and Poland with expertise in paper degradation mechanisms was tasked ...

Just add water: 3-D silicon shapes fold themselves when wetted by microscopic droplets

2014-06-03

VIDEO: This video shows how a flat design folds into a cube with the addition of water. The researchers can fold and unfold the cube multiple times without wear, as... Click here for more information. WASHINGTON D.C. June 3, 2014 -- Researchers from the University of Twente in the Netherlands have taken the precise art of origami down to the microscopic scale. Using only a drop of water, the scientists have folded flat sheets of silicon nitride into cubes, pyramids, half soccer-ball-shaped ...

Rice University produces carbon-capture breakthrough

2014-06-03

HOUSTON – (June 3, 2014) – Rice University scientists have created an Earth-friendly way to separate carbon dioxide from natural gas at wellheads. A porous material invented by the Rice lab of chemist James Tour sequesters carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, at ambient temperature with pressure provided by the wellhead and lets it go once the pressure is released. The material shows promise to replace more costly and energy-intensive processes. Results from the research appear today in the journal Nature Communications. Natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel. Development ...

Opioid overdose prevention programs may reduce deaths, reports Journal of Addiction Medicine

2014-06-03

June 3, 2014 – Community opioid overdose prevention programs (OOPPs)—including the use of naloxone for rapid drug reversal—can improve bystander responses to overdose of heroin and related drugs, according to a review in the June Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health . Based on the available evidence, "Bystanders (mostly opioid users) can and will use naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses when properly trained, and…this ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Prominent chatbots routinely exaggerate science findings, study shows

First-ever long read datasets added to two Kids First studies

Dual-laser technique lowers Brillouin sensing frequency to 200 MHz

Zhaoqi Yan named a 2025 Warren Alpert Distinguished Scholar

Editorial for the special issue on subwavelength optics

Oyster fossils shatter myth of weak seasonality in greenhouse climate

Researchers demonstrate 3-D printing technology to improve comfort, durability of ‘smart wearables’

USPSTF recommendation on screening for syphilis infection during pregnancy

Butterflies hover differently from other flying organisms, thanks to body pitch

New approach to treating aggressive breast cancers shows significant improvement in survival

African genetic ancestry, structural and social determinants of health, and mortality in Black adults

Stigmatizing and positive language in birth clinical notes associated with race and ethnicity

Analysis of the disease spectrum characteristics of inherited metabolic liver diseases in two hepatology specialist hospitals in Beijing over the past 20 years