Study provides roadmap to more personalized cancer treatment

Milo Mitchell/UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer CenterUCLA ’s Dr. Joanne Weidhaas explains her latest research, which could lead to more personalized treatments for head and neck cancer. FINDINGSResearchers have found that people with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and the KRAS-variant inherited genetic mutation have significantly improved survival when given a short course of the drug cetuximab in combination with standard chemotherapy and radiation.The study was led by UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center member Dr. Joanne Weidhaas in collaboration with colleagues at the NRG Oncology RTOG. They discovered that people with both head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and the KRAS-variant who were treated with standard treatment, but not with cetuximab, had a higher risk of failing treatment and developing metastatic disease, meaning the cancer spreads to distant organs and is incurable.BACKGROUNDIn 2006, researchers discovered the KRAS-variant, an inherited genetic mutation found in up to 25 percent of people with cancer. The KRAS-variant is a biomarker that disrupts a class of important regulators, called microRNAs, which were discovered in 2000. The  mutation has been shown to predict response to cancer therapy for many cancers, including head and neck cancer. It was not previously understood exactly how this biomarker worked.The current standard of care for advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma involves chemotherapy and radiation. However, t...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news