Cancer drugs often induce dramatic responses in a small minority of patients.
We used whole-genome sequencing to investigate the genetic basis of a durable remission of metastatic bladder cancer in a patient treated with everolimus, a drug that inhibits the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) signaling pathway. Among the somatic mutations was a loss-of-function mutation in TSC1 (tuberous sclerosis complex 1), a regulator of mTOR pathway activation. Targeted sequencing revealed TSC1 mutations in about 8% of 109 additional bladder cancers examined, and TSC1 mutation correlated with everolimus sensitivity. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using whole-genome sequencing in the clinical setting to identify previously occult biomarkers of drug sensitivity that can aid in the identification of patients most likely to respond to targeted anticancer drugs.
Written by:
Iyer G, Hanrahan AJ, Milowsky MI, Al-Ahmadie H, Scott SN, Janakiraman M, Pirun M, Sander C, Socci ND, Ostrovnaya I, Viale A, Heguy A, Peng L, Chan TA, Bochner B, Bajorin DF, Berger MF, Taylor BS, Solit DB. Are you the author?
Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Reference: Science. 2012 Oct 12;338(6104):221.
doi: 10.1126/science.1226344
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22923433
UroToday.com Investigative Urology Section
