Intratumor heterogeneity is a key factor in cancer treatment
2018
Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
Despite the advances in HER2+ breast cancer treatments and the improvements in survival rates, relapse still remains a fatal complication. Recently, several studies have suggested intratumor heterogeneity of estrogen receptor and HER2 expression to be a critical factor in treatment failure. However, how this evolves at a single-cell level is still unclear. Here, samples from patients, before and after treatment, were used to analyze estrogen receptor and HER2 expression and HER2 gene copy numbers in single tumor cells. The results showed high variability and heterogeneity of HER2 copy numbers among different patients. Moreover, intratumor heterogeneity correlated positively with short disease-free survival and fewer long-term survivors. Additionally, those patients to whom HER2 profile remained constant along treatment had a worse prognosis. Overall, the researchers confirm in human samples the central role of intratumor heterogeneity in cancer progression and remark the importance of treatment selection in HER2+ breast cancer patients.
Intratumor heterogeneity defines treatment-resistant HER2+ breast tumors
Hege G Russnes
Added on: 10-21-2021
[1] https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1878-0261.12375[2] https://data.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset/ffebe454-ed9a-47cf-8a33-8cf70c1b7d38
