Alteration identified Genetics in non-smoking lung cancer patients that leads to increased resistance to treatment
Researchers from Cima University of Navarra coordinate this multicenter study, in partnership with the high school of research against Leukemia Josep Carreras and the Vall d'Hebron Hospital.
Researchers from the Solid Tumors Program of the Cima University of Navarra have identified an alteration Genetics in lung cancer cells that produces a greater resistance to treatment. This is a multicenter work coordinated in partnership with the high school of research against Leukemia Josep Carreras and the Vall d'Hebron Hospital.
About 10% of adenocarcinomas (one of the most frequent types of lung cancer) affect non-smokers. The keys to their appearance and development remain unknown. "Using next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques, our study analyzed the genetic abnormalities in the cells of these patients. We obtained specific genetic alterations, such as the inactivation of RB1 in patients with EFGR mutations, a known gene implicated in this disease," explains Dr. Luis Montuenga, researcher senior Cimahead of group of CIBERONC and co-director of this work.
According to this work, the presence of these RB1 alterations in the tumor could indicate an increased likelihood of developing resistance to treatment, especially to EGFR inhibitors.
Search for more precise treatmentsOn the other hand, the work also reports that a subgroup of non-smoking patients who develop lung cancer are affected by predisposing mutations Genetics to cancer. The results have been published in Annals of Oncology, a publication of the European Society for Medical Oncology.
"Given that some of the tumors presented, in addition to RB1, other alterations associated with resistance to EGFR inhibitors, it is reasonable to think that the alteration in RB1 is not the only manager of resistance to treatment. The next steps are to determine the presence of these mutations in patients with adenocarcinoma in non-smoking patients. This information will help to predict the mechanism of resistance and to design treatments with greater precision for each patient," concludes Dr. Montuenga.
This project, carried out at the framework of the high school of research Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), has been financed by the association Española contra el Cáncer (AECC), among other public and private institutions.