They have the largest study on women treated with inhibitors of PI3K against breast cancer.

-oral communication at ASCO won, in addition, a Merit Award of the Conquer Cancer Foundation, proof of its high quality and great scientific interest

Barcelona, 2012-June the last Saturday, June 2, the Group of researchers from the breast cancer unit of the Vall d ’ Hebron Institut d ’ Oncologia (VHIO) – Hospital Vall d ’ Hebron presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting 2012 the results of a study on the use of inhibitors of the PI3K pathway in breast cancer. This study aims to achieve 2 goals in affected patients of metastatic breast cancer: on the one hand to analyze the activity of inhibitors of PI3K in monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy or endocrine therapy, trastuzumab and, on the other, to identify among this population, potential biomarkers of response to these treatments. The VHIO researchers seek to achieve develop innovative, essential therapeutic combinations to achieve reverse resistance mechanisms, so that the patients live more and better.

In the study, example of translational medicine, have analyzed the patients treated in the breast unit, Vall d ’ Hebron with inhibitors of PI3K pathway (pathway of the Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase). The appearance of mutations in this way can help to activate it and promote the growth of tumor cells in a variety of tumors common in females. This route also relates to the acquisition of mechanisms of resistance to conventional therapies (chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or trastuzumab).

The path of PI3K inhibitors are a group of drugs currently in development by multiple pharmaceutical industries, today, it seems that they can help reverse these resistances. So far it had presented results of the use of these drugs not selected depending on the type of tumor and it was difficult to draw conclusions about the benefit could be in patients with breast cancer.

The interest of the object of study of this work is to observe the activity of these drugs in monotherapy or in combination exclusively in affected patients of breast cancer and see if the presence in the tumor of the PI3K mutation or loss of PTEN (a tumor suppressor gene)they are predictive factors of a better response. The richness of the work of the Group of the VHIO is precisely that it is the first time that a sample data are presented with a number of patients so great with breast cancer. In this way it is easier to get an idea of the activity of PI3K inhibitors in this tumor ”, explains, the DRA. Mafalda Oliveira, who presented the study at ASCO.

The findings of the study suggest that among the studied population, the activity of inhibitors of the PI3K pathway is encouraging in patients with metastatic breast cancer previously treated with several lines of standard treatment, achieving a time of controlling the disease for almost 4 months ”, explains the DRA. Cristina Saura, who leads the development agenda of PI3K inhibitors in breast cancer in the hospital Vall d ’ Hebron. The study also stresses that he has been a tremendous effort to identify the patients who benefit most from these treatments but that still it has not been able to establish a correlation between the State of the PIK3CA mutation and greater effectiveness of treatment with inhibitors of PI3K as the sole therapeutic agent. In terms of treatments combined with chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or trastuzumab, it seems that patients with PI3K mutation could obtain a greater benefit.

One increasingly more personalized medicine

This work is an example of the direction of research into cancer. This is a study that has been entirely at the Hospital Vall d ’ Hebron (breast cancer unit) and Vall d ’ Hebron Institut d ’ Oncologia (VHIO). This level jobs are possible with this combination of high level: technology and greater excellence in biomedical and clinical research and translation assistance to the patients themselves. Medicine and translational research.

The horizon this study of the VHIO projects is to continue working with this group of drugs. We must devote special attention to activity of inhibitors of specific isoforms of PI3K have recently joined the clinic for patients with metastatic breast cancer on the one hand, and, on the other hand, to explore and validate new predictive biomarkers of response in the clinical setting. Also, it is essential to get develop innovative therapeutic combinations to achieve reverse resistance mechanisms, so that the patients live more and better.