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Ex-vivo organ culture as potential prioritization tool for breast cancer targeted therapy

Albert Grinshpun1, Nancy Gavert2, Roy Zvi Granit3

  • 1a Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center , Jerusalem , Israel.

Cancer Biology & Therapy
|March 23, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Genomic testing reveals multiple targets in metastatic breast cancer. Ex-vivo organ culture (EVOC) prioritized treatment, showing an FGFR inhibitor was most effective, guiding subsequent clinical therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Genomics
  • Personalized Medicine

Background:

  • Metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) presents treatment challenges, especially after failure of conventional therapies.
  • Genomic profiling identifies multiple potentially targetable alterations (e.g., FGFR1, CDK6, INSR) in advanced TNBC, creating a clinical dilemma regarding optimal treatment sequencing.

Observation:

  • A heavily pretreated metastatic TNBC patient with multiple identified molecular targets was treated.
  • An ex-vivo organ culture (EVOC) system was employed to test the efficacy of various targeted agents against the patient's tumor.

Findings:

  • EVOC testing revealed that the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor AZD4547 demonstrated the most significant tumor response.
  • Clinical administration of FGFR inhibitors (Pazopanib, then Nintedanib) resulted in a partial therapeutic response.

Implications:

  • Ex-vivo organ culture (EVOC) offers a predictive model for prioritizing targeted therapies when multiple molecular targets are identified in cancer.
  • This approach may guide personalized treatment strategies for patients with advanced cancers, optimizing therapeutic selection and improving outcomes.
Keywords:
Breast CancerEx-vivoPatient Derived XenograftsTargeted TherapyTriple Negative

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