Metastases of Breast Cancer Seek Novel Therapeutics

Metastases of breast cancer to brain may soon have novel therapeutic target as per a study at the University Of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Metastases from breast cancer to brain are found to develop in 15% to 50% of patients. Typical treatment options – surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies have limited success in brain metastases.

Target for Brain Metastases
Moreover, 80% of women with brain metastases from breast cancer die within a year of their diagnosis. Hence the study explored the role of interleukin 13 receptor alpha 2 (IL13Ra2) in brain metastases.

The protein is specifically found in increased rates in cancer cells that metastasize to other locations in the body — particularly the brain and the lungs. IL13Ra2 was identified as a treatment target as it shows vulnerability to CAR T-cell treatment in clinical trials on brain tumors.

“We found that patients expressing high levels of IL13Ra2 in their brain metastases have worse survival than those expressing low levels of IL13Ra2, but we could not see this correlation when examining the primary tumors. That was important because it suggested that there is adaptation of the cancer cells when they spread to the brain, and we could eventually target it. We were able to identify a role for this receptor as a tool in promoting the proliferation and outgrowth of metastasis in the brain,” says Diana Cittelly, Ph.D., CU Cancer Center member who led the study.

The study now anticipates collaborating with CAR T-cell experts to further understand how CAR T-cell therapy can be targeted to IL13Ra2 and sketch out clinical trials for patients.

“Then, in the clinical scenario, when people are already presenting with a brain metastasis, we could potentially target IL13Ra2 to decrease the outgrowth of those metastases and decrease the progression. If we can target that protein, we can improve the outcomes of these patients,” says Cittelly.

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Source-Medindia