Molecular profiling of advanced breast cancer tumors is beneficial in assisting clinical treatment plans.

Philip Carter,Pramodh Chandrasinghe,Biancastella Cereser,Neha Tabassum,Fotini Poyia,Justin Stebbing,Lee S Schwartzberg,Nina Moderau,Jonathan Krell,Jinrui Wen,Lisa Del Bel Belluz,Costi Alifrangis

doi:10.18632/oncotarget.24564

Abstract

We used data obtained by Caris Life Sciences, to evaluate the benefits of tailoring treatments for a breast carcinoma cohort by using tumor molecular profiles to inform decisions. Data for 92 breast cancer patients from the commercial Caris Molecular Intelligence database was retrospectively divided into two groups, so that the first always followed treatment recommendations, whereas in the second group all patients received at least one drug after profiling that was predicted to lack benefit. The biomarker and drug associations were based on tests including fluorescent in situ hybridization and DNA sequencing, although immunohistochemistry was the main test used.Patients whose drugs matched those recommended according to their tumor profile had an average overall survival of 667 days, compared to 510 days for patients that did not (P=0.0316). In the matched treatment group, 26% of patients were deceased by the last time of monitoring, whereas this was 41% in the unmatched group (P=0.1257). We therefore confirm the ability of tumor molecular profiling to improve survival of breast cancer patients. Immunohistochemistry biomarkers for the androgen, estrogen and progesterone receptors were found to be prognostic for survival.

Highlights

Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in women, causing approximately one in four of all cases worldwide
Each set is ordered by survival time following profiling, so that from left to right in the plots patients are displayed as their post-profiling survival time increases
Green lines indicate administration of drugs predicted to be of benefit, red lines are drugs that have a lack of benefit, and yellow corresponds to times when both of these types of drug were received by the patient

Summary

Introduction

Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in women, causing approximately one in four of all cases worldwide. In 2012, there were 1.68 million diagnoses and 522,000 deaths according to the World Health Organization, and around 80% of cases occur within patients over the age of 50. Lack of exercise, alcohol consumption, age, family history and age at menarche. The long-term outcome for patients depends on the stage of the tumor and its characteristics at diagnosis. Established evidence-based treatments for advanced disease includes radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and targeted therapies. Due to the application of these treatments, in the developed world survival is relatively high, with between 80% and 90% of those in England and the USA surviving for at least five years

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