On September 15, 2020 Caris Life Sciences, a leading innovator in molecular science focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, reported results from a study that could shed new light on the treatment journey of patients with KRAS-mutated epithelial ovarian carcinomas (EOC) (Press release, Caris Life Sciences, SEP 15, 2020, View Source [SID1234565206]). These findings, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Virtual Congress 2020, demonstrate an unmet need for this patient population and suggest that targeted therapies designed to inhibit KRAS gene response may be effective in treating patients with KRAS-mutated EOC.
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"Inhibitors of KRAS-mutant disease have previously shown efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic and colon cancers, but more data about targeted therapies for KRAS-mutated ovarian cancer are needed," said Karolina Kilowski, M.D., lead investigator of the study and a gynecologic oncology fellow with the Gynecologic Oncology Program at the AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando, Florida. "These results demonstrate that further investigation into KRAS-mutated ovarian cancer is warranted, as it is now apparent that BRCA1/2 mutations were mutually exclusive from KRAS-mutations, suggesting a separate treatment opportunity for recurrent disease or maintenance therapy," said Rob Holloway M.D., Medical Director of the Gynecologic Oncology Program at AdventHealth.
The full results will be presented today during a poster display session (Abstract #844P) as part of the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Virtual Congress 2020. The title of the poster is, "KRAS Mutant Epithelial Ovarian Carcinomas (EOC) Represent Distinct Genomic Genotypes."
Additional Presentations Reveal Potential Impact of Precision Medicine
Caris will present additional data from studies demonstrating the critical role of precision medicine and molecular profiling in driving treatment decisions for people with colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal tumors. Both presentations will be made available online through Caris’ virtual booth on Thursday, September 17.
A study evaluating Polo-like Kinase 1 (PLK1) in KRAS-wildtype and KRAS-mutated (MT) colorectal cancer (Abstract #473P) revealed similar levels of PLK1 expression in both groups, suggesting the potential for efficacy of PLK1 inhibitors regardless of KRAS status. In addition, microsatellite instability and tumor mutational burden, both known markers for immunotherapy response, increased along with PLK1 expression. Therefore, researchers suggest that combining an immunotherapy with a PLK1 inhibitor may be a synergistic approach to increase tumor sensitivity in PLK1-overexpressing tumors. The poster is titled, "PLK1 expression and KRAS Mutations in Colorectal Cancer."
A study titled, "Comprehensive profiling of MDM2-amplified gastrointestinal (GI) cancers" (Abstract #1952P), the most extensive profiling study to investigate MDM2-amplified GI tumors, found distinct molecular patterns of MDM2-amplified GI cancers involving WNT pathway genes, upregulation of FGF signaling and an inverse association with tumor mutational burden and microsatellite instability, which may partly explain the lower levels of response of MDM2-amplified tumors to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
"As cancer treatment becomes increasingly personalized, it is vital for physicians and patients to have access to next-generation sequencing and molecular assays in order to have the fullest picture possible to help them determine the proper treatment path," said W. Michael Korn, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Caris Life Sciences. "Our data at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2020 highlight how Caris’ industry-leading technology can provide guidance for physicians in how they approach KRAS-mutated tumors."