Monday 12 July 1999
Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Trust have combined a simple sampling technique with cutting edge technology to predict how women with breast cancer will respond to treatment. The research was carried out in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute in the USA.
Cells are taken from the breast tumour with a fine needle, and then analysed using micro-arrays - a small glass slide which carries a blueprint of 2,200 of the genes that exist in these cells. When the extracted cells are washed over the slide it allows scientists to identify the way in which the genes behave in the individual's tumour.
By looking at the genes and applying existing knowledge - for example, it is already known that some proteins cause resistance to chemotherapy - it will be possible to anticipate in advance how a patient will respond to treatment, and tailor it according to her individual needs.
The fine needle aspirate technique is far less invasive than other biopsies using much thicker needles which causes bruising to the patient, so it can be repeated at frequent intervals. This means that doctors can monitor a woman's progress by looking at changes in the expression of her genes from the cells taken during treatment.
Professor Mitch Dowsett of the Institute of Cancer Research and Professor Trevor Powles of The Royal Marsden Hospital have shown that If the treatment is working, they will see a reduction in cell proliferation and an increase in apoptosis (programmed cell death). If this does not happen, it tells doctors that certain genes may be activated to resist the treatment, and an alternative course of therapy could be given.
The research also means that scientists can identify new targets for treatment through the discovery of more genes that cause resistance to current therapies.
Professor Mitch Dowsett commented:
"This is very exciting because for the first time we can look at what is going on in so many of the genes which affect the patient's tumour during treatment. It should also mean that women will not have to suffer the side effects of treatment without doctors being very confident that it will do the job it is supposed to do."
"Using micro-arrays is a big fishing exercise. We are looking at 2,200 genes and we don't know what role most of them play. We know very little about breast cancer genes, but this technique will allow us to look at many more, and ultimately develop new drugs to deal with them," he added.
The same technique could also be used in many other cancers. Results indicate that the use of fine needle aspirates is much more effective in the analysis of genes than tumour pieces. Apart from the ease of obtaining further comparison samples, tumour pieces contain lots of different populations of cells that are not truly malignant, including connecting or stromo-cells. In contrast, the needle aspirate enriches the sample with tumour cells.
For further information please contact The Institute of Cancer Research press office on 0207 970 6030 or Rebecca Mosely at The Royal Marsden NHS Trust press office on 0171 808 2383
Notes to editors:
- The Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research together form the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe. The relationship between the two organisations is unique, allowing scientific discoveries to move swiftly from the laboratory to the clinic.
For further information please contact The Press Office on:
Tel: 0207 970 6030
email: [email protected]
Please note:
Unfortunately the press office are unable to answer queries from the general public. For general cancer information please refer to The Institute's cancer information page.