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Targeting homologous recombination addicted tumors: challenges and opportunities

Talia Golan1, Jonathan R Brody2,3

  • 1Oncology Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Annals of Pancreatic Cancer
|April 20, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Targeting DNA damage repair (DDR) defects in tumors offers new therapeutic avenues. Challenges include timely identification, pathway dependency confirmation, and precise treatment matching for DDR-defective cancers.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and molecular tumor subtyping enable targeted therapies.
  • Many solid tumors are treated with non-targeted chemotherapy.
  • Tumors with DNA damage repair (DDR) gene defects may respond to specific DDR-targeting agents.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discuss the opportunities and challenges in targeting DDR-defective tumors.
  • To explore the future of precision medicine for this subset of cancers.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on DDR pathways and targeted therapies.
  • Analysis of challenges in clinical application of DDR-targeting strategies.

Main Results:

  • Identification of DDR defects is crucial for therapeutic selection.
  • Tumor addiction to DDR pathways needs to be confirmed.
  • Matching patients with DDR defects to appropriate therapies is complex.

Conclusions:

  • Targeting DDR defects represents a promising frontier in cancer treatment.
  • Overcoming clinical challenges is essential for realizing the potential of these therapies.
  • Future research should focus on refining patient selection and treatment strategies.
Keywords:
DNA damaging repair genesPrecision medicinepancreatic adenocarcinoma

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