The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting is the biggest cancer conference in the world, and one of the largest gatherings of medical professionals anywhere.
During its five days the ASCO international conference will bring together oncology professionals from a broad range of specialties to see cutting-edge scientific presentations unveiling some of the most exciting and important developments in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
This year 30,000 doctors and scientists from around the world will meet at McCormick Place, a gigantic conference centre in the heart of Chicago, to discuss the latest in cancer research – from state-of-the-art treatments to new tests and imaging techniques. The meeting is an opportunity to share ideas and mingle with the biggest names in the field. Leading scientists from here at The Institute of Cancer Research in London will also be there in force.
The theme of this year’s meeting is Illumination and Innovation: Transforming Data into Learning. The title was chosen by ASCO’s President, Doctor Peter Paul Yu – a medical oncologist and haematologist, and Director of Cancer Research at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation near San Jose – to reflect the continuous, active process of learning that is central to the practice of oncology.
As our knowledge of cancer grows, it’s important that we translate this into ways to help people with cancer and to prevent the disease from developing. And with nearly 6,000 abstracts being presented at this year’s conference, there will be lots of interesting lessons to learn.
ICR scientists will be presenting research in a number of oral and poster presentations, with some of the most exciting work involving clinical trials testing both experimental drugs and existing treatments in a range of cancers:
Dr Nicholas Turner is presenting research from a clinical trial for women with a type of advanced breast cancer, known as hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, which has stopped responding to standard hormone therapy. Almost 80% of breast cancer cases express some form of hormone receptor, but while many respond initially to hormone treatment, relapse is fairly common.
The trial treated patients with a new targeted treatment called palbociclib, alongside a hormone therapy drug called fulvestrant.
Another study from Dr Turner is also being presented, investigating whether some patients with triple-negative breast cancer could benefit from new drugs called CDK4/6 inhibitors. Triple-negative breast cancer can be particularly aggressive, and does not respond to hormone treatments or drugs like Herceptin, so drug treatments for this cancer type are really needed.
Dr Udai Banerji will be presenting data from a phase I trial for a new drug called AZD5363 that inhibits the important cancer signalling pathway AKT. This treatment is currently being tested in combination with other drugs, and the new study looks at whether it is safe and could be effective in a type of breast cancer with mutations to the gene PIK3CA. This gene is frequently found mutated in breast cancer, and AKT inhibitors could be a promising way to target the disease.
Research from Professor Johann de Bono has investigated whether circulating tumour cells, which can be detected in blood samples, could be a way to measure how patients respond to treatment in advanced prostate cancer. The hope is that testing for circulating tumour cells could help doctors to determine if patients are responding positively to treatment earlier, and switch them to alternative treatments if required.
Professor de Bono and Dr Banerji were also involved with a phase 1 trial investigating a novel anti-cancer drug called RO5126766 in patients with solid tumours. This drug inhibits two proteins called MEK and RAF, which are needed for cancer to survive and grow.
A clinical trial involving Dr Robert Huddart looked at the benefit of a drug called lapatinib in patients with advanced bladder cancer. Previous research has found that additional treatments are largely ineffective after chemotherapy, so finding drugs that work for these patients could help prolong their lives.
Research involving Dr Timothy Yap examined the factors that influence how patients with a type of ovarian cancer respond to a new treatment called olaparib. The research looked at patients with mutations in a gene called BRCA, which can also be mutated in breast cancer. Researchers are aiming to find ways to identify patients most likely to respond positively to the drug, and those who could benefit from additional treatment before receiving olaparib.
Professor Janet Shipley was involved with research investigating whether the presence of a small number of genes in tumour biopsies could be used to determine the severity of a rare type of childhood cancer called rhabadomyosarcoma. Markers of prognosis could help doctors identify patients who are likely to have more aggressive forms of the disease, and allow treatment to be tailored accordingly.
These studies demonstrate the range of research carried out by scientists at the ICR. They also highlight two important lessons for modern cancer treatment and care – new discoveries will often cut across multiple cancer types, offering the possibility of reusing existing treatments elsewhere, and there is an increasing focus on improving quality of life, as well as extending life.
There will no doubt be other lessons to come out of this year’s ASCO conference, and our researchers will be eager to learn all they can. To see the latest science coming from ASCO, look out on social media, #ASCO2015, or watch out for news on our website.
comments powered by