Molecular Test Helps Indicate Patient Drug Response

By using a molecular test on samples from patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer, researchers found several patterns of gene expression that enabled them to identify those patients who would respond to a particular therapy. Their findings were reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago (IL, USA).

New drugs that target the molecular switches turned on by cancer may offer patients the most personalized and effective treatment, but a way is needed to identify those patients who will respond to these drugs. In the current study, researchers used a molecular test that involves the use of stored tumor tissue samples embedded in paraffin wax. The test was used to examine the expression of 185 genes associated with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a key signaling pathway in cancer and the target of the drug gefitinib (Iressa).

Among the 39 patient tumors analyzed in this manner, the investigators found that seven patients responded to treatment with gefitinib, which directly correlated with a distinct pattern of genes. The investigators also identified a unique pattern of genes that directly correlated with the 32 patients who failed to respond to treatment with getfitinib. The test was developed by Genomic Health, Inc. (Redwood City, CA, USA).

"Having a test that indicates whether a patient will or won't respond to a given therapy will ultimately enable us to offer our patients the most appropriate treatment,” said Ronald Natale, M.D., acting medical director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Cedars Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles, CA, USA) and one of the investigators. "Patient selection will ultimately increase the chances that individual patients will respond to a specific therapy.”




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Cancer Center of Cedars Sinai Medical Center