Targeted Molecular Therapy in Palliative Cancer Management

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Targeted Molecular Therapy in Palliative Cancer Management Review Article iMedPub Journals Insights in Biomedicine 2020 www.imedpub.com ISSN 2572-5610 Vol.5 No.1:3 DOI: 10.36648/2572-5610.5.1.68 Targeted Molecular Therapy in Palliative Staats H1, Cassidy C1, 1 1 Cancer Management Kelso J , Mack S , Morand S1, Choucair K2, Qaqish H1, Willis O1, Craig D1, Duff J1,Stanbery L4, Abstract Edelman G1,3, Dworkin L1 and Acknowledging the correlation of response to therapy based on the “targeting the Nemunaitis J1,4* target” concept, FDA demonstrated confidence in precision therapy approaches by approving FoundationOne®CDx test in late 2017 as an indicated diagnostic for 1 Department of Medicine, University cancer patients. More than 100 precision therapies involving both solid and liquid of Toledo College of Medicine and Life malignancy have since been approved by FDA as indicated therapy in a variety Sciences, Toledo, Ohio, USA of cancer types as related to correlated molecular target. We provide clinical 2 Department of Internal Medicine, justification of consideration for precision therapy guided by matched molecular University of Kansas School of Medicine, target, specifically focusing on PI3K/mTOR/AKT, BRCA, CDK4/6, EGFR and BRAF Wichita, South-Central Kansas, USA V600E for advanced disease cancer patients who previously failed optimal NCCN 3 ProMedica Health System, Toledo, Ohio, guideline directed standard of care. USA Keywords: Molecular target; Cancer patients; Precision medicine 4 Gradalis, Inc, Carrollton, Texas, USA Received: March 10, 2020; Accepted: March 20, 2020; Published: March 27, 2020 *Corresponding author: Dr. John Nemunaitis Introduction [email protected] The concept of precision medicine, which takes into account individual variability between patients vis-à-vis treatment Gradalis Inc., 2545 Golden Bear Drive, Suite strategies, dates back to our early understanding of the 110, Carrollton, Texas 75006, USA. importance of blood typing. Since then however, the concept has been widely applied and dramatically improved with the Tel: 214-442-8163 development of the field of bio-informatics which further carried the personalization of therapy from the ABO blood types, to a completely different and more sophisticated levels of patients’ Citation: Staats H, Cassidy C, characterization at the molecular level. Although the concept Kelso J, Mack S, Morand S, et al. (2020) of precision medicine can virtually be applied to any disease, Targeted Molecular Therapy in Palliative oncology has arguably been at the forefront of these advances, Cancer Management. Insights Biomed mostly given our not-so-recent understanding of cancer as a Vol.5 No.1:3 genomic disease. Powerful methods such as proteomics and genomics, along with the availability of robust computational tools for data analysis have opened the way to a whole new remained unchanged and is mostly based on histopathology. era: the era of precision medicine. These advances have given Consequently, patients have also been treated with an exclusive oncologists unprecedented predictive power in the diagnosis focus on the tissue of tumor origin- lung, liver or breast, for and prognosis of cancer, narrowing down relevant discrimination example. However, with the completion of the Human Genome to the level of single genes, single transcripts, or even single Project and the development of solid databases and analytical proteins within a malignant cell. Beyond the demystification of softwares, the technology of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) have emerged as the etiology of cancer, this further allowed the identification new and powerful tools to classify different cancers based on of molecular therapeutic targets specific to cancer cells, thus specific molecular signaling [1,2]. The identification of molecular providing a framework whereby therapies can be specifically changes underlying the well-known hallmarks of cancer – matched to corresponding molecular targets. sustained proliferation, angiogenesis, evasion of tumor immunity, Traditionally, different solid tumor classification has grossly immortality, sustained growth signaling, invasion and metastasis © Under License of Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License | Find this article in: http://biomedicine.imedpub.com/ 1 InsightsARCHIVOS in Biomedicine DE MEDICINA 2020 ISSNISSN 2572-5610 1698-9465 Vol.5 No.1:3 has led to the identification of 12 essential signaling pathways translated into longer PFS (10 vs. 7.1 months; P<0.001) and OS that contribute to these core processes [3,4]. Targeting these (16.5 vs. 11.8 months, P<0.0001) [10]. “hub” elements represents a promising approach to effectively halt cancer progression. In fact, several driver mutations have Literature Review been identified and successfully targeted, showing survival The positive effect of targeted therapies on PFS and OS which will and response benefit, regardless of cancer histology [5,6]. The be described in more detail with in this review, is however not the translation of NGS and CGP into current oncology practice has result of the novel therapies per se, but rather due to effective thus taught us that although tumor histology matters, so too matching between the alteration and the targeted therapeutic does-and perhaps to a more significant extent- its genomic agent. In fact, patients lacking a target mutation do not benefit as landscape. much as those harboring such alterations, when treated with the Along the traditional histology-based classification, therapies same targeted therapy: one meta-analysis of advanced NSCLC have historically focused on targeting the main apparent hallmark patients compared the effectiveness of an EGFR tyrosine kinase of cancer cells: Rapid proliferation. As such, chemotherapy which inhibitor in patients with or without an EGFR mutation. Those targets rapidly dividing cells has for long remained the mainstay with an EGFR mutation had a significantly improved PFS (12 vs. of cancer therapy along with surgery, radiation therapy, and 3.4 months, P<0.001). Furthermore, median OS time was nearly later hormonal therapy. Yet, for patients with advanced stage IV doubled in EGFR-mutant patients compared to EGFR-WT patients metastatic disease, survival rates remain below satisfactory, with (23.3 vs. 12.1 months, respectively, P<0.001) [11]. Similar effects 5-year relative survival rates generally ranging between 2% and were observed with the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors 27% [7]. For lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer mortality in a large study across 275 sites involving 28,998 patients. OS across genders, survival rates are limited to 5% at 5 year, while was significantly higher in patients with high Tumor Mutational colorectal and breast cancer 5-year relative survival rates are Burden (TMB-High) compared to patients without the indicated 14% and 27% respectively. genetic change (TMB-Low) (18.6 vs. 11.4 months, P< 0.001) [12]. On the other hand, the significance of classifying tumors based on With the above evidence for survival advantage when matching genomic alterations has been demonstrated across several tumor therapies to specific alterations in mind, the era of precision types. The development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for example oncology is expanding at a faster rate than ever. The real has been one of the early success stories for lung cancer patients opportunity however lays in transforming what seems to be a harboring mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor new molecular classification and combining it with the emerging (EGFR) [8]. Many other studies have provided evidence in support field of matched therapy, thus resulting in novel strategies that of precision therapies directed at specific molecular alterations. A match therapies to molecular alterations irrespective of the major 14-site study of metastatic lung adenocarcinoma patients tumor histology. For example, aberrant HER2 signaling is well harboring a variety of targetable alterations (KRAS, EGFR, ALK, established in breast cancer but is also an oncogenic driver in HER2, BRAF, PIK3CA, MET, NRAS, and MEK1) compared overall a small subset of lung cancers [13]. Similarly, although BRAF survival (OS) in patients who received targeted therapies vs. mutations are most often associated with melanoma, these those who received systemic non-targeted therapies: OS was can also be found in hairy cell leukemia, colon cancer, lung significantly improved in those receiving targeted therapy (3.5 cancer, thyroid cancer, and brain tumors [14-19]. Thus, the years) compared to non-targeted therapy (2.4 years, P=0.006) genetic makeup of a newly diagnosed tumor may be just as [6]. Similarly, a meta-analysis evaluating 570 phase II single- important when exploring possible treatment strategies, and a agent studies and 32,149 patients compared OS, progression- thyroid tumor for example with a certain mutation may share free survival (PFS), and response rate (RR) in patients receiving more molecular vulnerabilities with a melanoma driven by the targeted therapy vs. those receiving non-targeted therapy. same molecular aberration/signaling pathway defect, than with The results were consistently positive for targeted therapy: another thyroid tumor without the same alteration. RR was 31% vs. 10.5% (P<0.001), prolonged median PFS was Many examples of targets that have been successfully applied 5.9 months vs. 2.7 months (P<0.001), and OS was 13.7 months across different tumor histologies exist: gene fusions involving vs. 8.9 months (P<0.001). In another study of advanced
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