Search

Molecular prognostic and diagnostic tools allow for targeted cancer surveillance, prognostication, and treatment, and these assays have the potential to improve the lives of patients and their relatives. The impact of these advances, however, is not uniform across populations. Underserved communities frequently do not have the same level of access to novel assays, and the clinical application of these tools is often limited by disproportionate representation of White and European ancestry populations in foundational data, as well as limited diversity in clinical trials. In this review, we highlight major advances in clinical molecular assays, key areas of disparity, and contributing factors. We then list ongoing and future areas of intervention to improve access to and efficacy of molecular assays across populations, so that we as a community may work to improve equity at this critical area of cancer care. Molecular testing disparities deprive patients of life-saving treatment—need equitable access to these technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer is the most common breast cancer subtype, and therapeutic management relies primarily on inhibiting ER signaling. In the metastatic setting, ER signaling is typically targeted by selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs) or aromatase inhibitors (AIs), the latter of which prevent estrogen production. Activating ESR1 mutations are among the most common emergent breast cancer mutations and confer resistance to AIs. Until 2023, fulvestrant was the only approved SERD; fulvestrant is administered intramuscularly, and in some cases may also have limited efficacy in the setting of certain ESR1 mutations. In 2023, the first oral SERD, elacestrant, was approved for use in ESR1-mutated, ER+/HER2- advanced breast cancer and represents a new class of therapeutic options. While the initial approval was as monotherapy, ongoing studies are evaluating elacestrant (as well as other oral SERDs) in combination with other therapies including CDK4/6 inhibitors and PI3K inhibitors, which parallels the current combination uses of fulvestrant. Elacestrant's recent approval sheds light on the use of biomarkers such as ESR1 to gauge a tumor's endocrine sensitivity. Ongoing therapeutic and correlative biomarker studies will offer new insight and expanding treatment options for patients with advanced breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer-associated mutations in the spliceosome gene SF3B1 create a neomorphic protein that produces aberrant mRNA splicing in hundreds of genes, but the ensuing biologic and therapeutic consequences of this missplicing are not well understood. Here we have provided evidence that aberrant splicing by mutant SF3B1 altered the transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome of human cells, leading to missplicing-associated downregulation of metabolic genes, decreased mitochondrial respiration, and suppression of the serine synthesis pathway. We also found that mutant SF3B1 induces vulnerability to deprivation of the nonessential amino acid serine, which was mediated by missplicing-associated downregulation of the serine synthesis pathway enzyme PHGDH. This vulnerability was manifest both in vitro and in vivo, as dietary restriction of serine and glycine in mice was able to inhibit the growth of [SF3B1.sup.MUT] xenografts. These findings describe a role for SF3B1 mutations in altered energy metabolism, and they offer a new therapeutic strategy against [SF3B1.sup.MUT] cancers., Introduction Since their identification in 2011, mutations in spliceosome genes have been found in numerous human malignancies (1). Among the most broadly implicated genes is SF3B1, recurrently mutated in myelodysplastic [...]

PURPOSE There is a demand for improved care delivery surrounding genomic testing and clinical trial enrollment among patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). We sought to improve the current process via real-time informal consultation and prescreening assessment for patients with MBC treated by community and academic medical oncologists by implementing a virtual molecular and precision medicine (vMAP) clinic. METHODS The vMAP program used a virtual referral system directed to a multidisciplinary team with precision medicine expertise. Providers contacted vMAP regarding patients with MBC, and on receipt of referral, the vMAP team engaged in discussion to identify if further diagnostics were needed (including genomic testing) and to identify potential clinical trials or standard treatment options. Recommendations were then sent to the referring provider within 72 hours. Pre-/postsurveys were issued to network physicians to assess for barriers, clinical trial access, and vMAP referral experience. Program implementation was evaluated with the Squire 2.0 reporting guidelines for quality improvement in health care as a framework. RESULTS Eighty-one cases from 22 providers were referred to vMAP over a 26-month period. The average response time to the referring provider with a finalized recommendation was 1.90 ± 1.82 days. A total of 86.4% of cases had clinical trial options on vMAP prescreen, with 40.7% initiating formal screening assessments and 27 patients (33.3%) ultimately enrolling on trials. On resurvey, 92% of survey responses across community oncology referring providers said that they were very likely to use vMAP again. CONCLUSION In the initial 2-year period, vMAP demonstrated an efficient means to offer real-time interpretation of genomic testing and identification of clinical trials for patients with MBC, with effective clinical trial enrollment and high rates of referring provider satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secretory carcinoma is a rare breast tumor driven by ETV6::NTRK3 fusion. It has characteristic morphologic features and identification of these tumors is critical as these patients may benefit from TRK inhibitors. Morphologic shift upon treatment has not been reported in secretory carcinoma or other NTRK-driven tumors. Herein we describe a patient with secretory carcinoma showing transdifferentiation into metaplastic carcinoma (spindle cell and squamous cell carcinoma) at the metastatic site following treatment. Identification of these morphologic shifts is crucial for accurate classification and identification of potential resistant mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) represents a cure for nonmalignant hematological disorders. However, compared with the stringent conditioning regimens used when performing BMT to treat hematological malignancies, the reduced intensity conditioning regimen used in the context of nonmalignant hematological disorders leads to substantially higher rates of BMT rejection, presumably due to an intact immune system. The relevant patient population typically receives transfusion support, often including platelets, and the frequency of BMT rejection correlates with the frequency of transfusion. Here, we demonstrate that immunity to transfused platelets contributes to subsequent BMT rejection in mice, even when the BMT donor and recipient are MHC matched. We used MHC-matched bone marrow because, although immunity to transfused platelets is best characterized in relation to HLA-specific antibodies, such antibodies are unlikely to play a role in clinical BMT rejection that is HLA matched. However, bone marrow is not matched in the clinic for minor histocompatibility antigens, such as those carried by platelets, and we report that transfusion of minor histocompatibility antigen-mismatched platelets induced subsequent BMT rejection. These findings indicate previously unappreciated sequelae of immunity to platelets in the context of transplantation and suggest that strategies to account for minor histocompatibility mismatching may help to reduce the chance of BMT rejection in human patients., Introduction Patients who have bone marrow failure syndromes are typically given supportive care, including transfusions of rbc and platelets (PLTs). Some marrow failure patients subsequently undergo bone marrow transplantation (BMT) [...]

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous disease that is historically difficult to treat, but advances in molecular targeted therapies, including the use of antibodies, are changing the standard of care. Translational research over the years has revealed various actionable targets allowing TNBC to be subtyped in novel ways. In this article, we review the molecular targets that guide current management of patients with metastatic TNBC (mTNBC), including programmed death-ligand 1, germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, and the transmembrane glycoprotein Trop-2. These targets allow for the treatment of mTNBC with immunotherapy, poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase inhibitors, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), such as sacituzumab govitecan, the first ADC approved for the treatment of breast cancer. We also review upcoming therapies, such as datopotamab deruxtecan and trastuzumab deruxtecan. Although mTNBC is complex in nature, molecular studies are making treatments more personalized by identifying actionable targets in what was once thought to be a nontargetable disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]