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Breakthrough Trial Targets Dormant Breast Cancer Cells to Prevent Recurrence

The Challenge of Breast Cancer Recurrence

A first-of-its-kind, federally funded clinical trial has shown it’s possible to identify breast cancer survivors who⁣ are at higher risk of their cancer ⁤coming back due to ⁢the⁣ presence of dormant cancer⁣ cells and to effectively treat these ⁣cells with⁢ repurposed, existing drugs. The research, led by scientists from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine was published today in Nature Medicine.

While breast cancer survival continues to improve, thanks to advances in detection and treatment, when breast cancer ‍relapses — or returns after initial treatment — it is still incurable. For the 30 percent of women and men who do relapse, the only option is continuous and indefinite treatment which cannot eliminate the cancer fully. Some breast cancers, like triple negative and HER2+, recur within a few years, and others like ER+ can recur decades later. Until now, there has not been a way to identify those breast cancer survivors who harbor the dormant cells that lead to recurrence in real time and⁣ to intervene with a treatment that can prevent incurable relapse.

Key⁢ Findings of the Clinical ‍Trial

In a randomized phase II clinical trial with 51 breast⁢ cancer survivors, existing drugs were⁢ able to clear dormant tumor cells from 80 percent of the study participants. The three-year survival rate without any disease recurrence was above 90 percent in patients who received one drug and ‍100 percent for patients who ⁤received both study drugs.

“The lingering fear of cancer returning is something that hangs over many breast ⁢cancer survivors after they celebrate the end of treatment,” said principal investigator Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE, FASCO, the Mariann T. and Robert J.MacDonald Professor in Breast ‍Cancer Research. “Right now, we just don’t know when or ‍if someone’s cancer will come back — that’s the problem we set out to solve. Our study shows that preventing recurrence by monitoring and targeting dormant tumor cells ‍is a strategy that holds real promise, and I hope it ignites ⁢more research in this area.”

Understanding Dormant Tumor⁢ Cells (“Sleeper Cells”)

Seizing a window of opportunity to wipe out cancer while it’s sleeping

The study builds on previous research that showed how dormant tumor cells continue to lay in wait⁤ in some patients ⁣after⁤ breast cancer treatment. These so-called “sleeper⁣ cells,” also referred to as minimal residual disease (MRD), can reactivate years or even ⁣decades later. because they are not “active” ⁢cancer cells and can be scattered throughout the body, they do not show up⁣ on standard imaging⁤ tests⁢ that are used to watch for⁢ breast cancer recurrence.

Once the sleeper cells begin to expand and circulate in⁣ the bloodstream, it can lead to the spread of metastatic breast cancer. Patients who have MRD are more likely ⁢to experience breast cancer recurrence and have decreased overall survival.

Lewis Chodosh, MD, PhD, chair of Cancer Biology and senior author of the study, previously led research⁣ to‍ identify the pathways that allow dormant tumor cells to survive in patients for decades.

How the Trial Worked: Targeting MRD

the trial focused on identifying and⁤ eliminating MRD.⁤ While the specific drugs used haven’t been publicly disclosed in detail (pending further research and potential patent applications), ⁤the⁤ researchers utilized repurposed existing drugs, suggesting a faster path to clinical submission compared to