Longitudinal Circulating Tumor DNA Study in Breast Cancer
A global leader in cell-free DNA testing, Natera, will now be partnering with Cancer Research UK-funded researchers to help identify the optimal biomarkers for prediction of disease progression in women with breast cancer after their surgery and adjuvant therapy.
The study is being led by Principal Investigators Dr. Charles Coombes, Professor of Medical Oncology, Imperial College London and Director of The Imperial CRUK Cancer Centre, and Dr. Jacqui Shaw, Professor of Translational Cancer Genetics at the University of Leicester Cancer Research Centre.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Approximately 250,000 women are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer every year in the United States. While the overall survival rate for breast cancer has improved, recurrence is an ongoing problem, with 5-year recurrence rates estimated to be as high as 33 percent.
Researchers will use Natera’s test to retrospectively analyze blood samples from breast cancer patients who completed chemotherapy and were deemed to be at risk for disease recurrence. Patients in the study were monitored with blood tests and physical exams for up to four years, and results are expected to be available in 2018.
“We look forward to working with Drs. Coombes and Shaw to characterize ctDNA as a potential biomarker for breast cancer progression,
” said Jimmy Lin, MD, Ph.D., MHS, Chief Scientific Officer, Oncology, at Natera. “They are experts in using ctDNA for disease monitoring in breast cancer. This is an excellent application of the Signatera™ technology.”Signatera™ (RUO) differs from currently available liquid biopsy technology, which tests for a generic panel of genes independent of an individual’s tumor. It provides a customized blood test tailored to match the mutations found in each individual’s tumor tissue, which maximizes sensitivity and specificity. Signatera™ also allows researchers to track up to several hundred additional mutations of interest for clinical studies. A recent study of patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) showed the value of Natera’s customized ctDNA analysis for use in cancer research. The study, which was featured on the cover of the journal Nature, demonstrated the method’s potential to detect residual disease, measure treatment response, and identify recurrence up to 11 months earlier than the standard of care.
“We believe circulating tumor DNA may provide a meaningful guide to predict disease progression before scans for patients with breast cancer,” Prof. Shaw said. “We are pleased to partner with Natera to explore this exciting new biomarker.”