Groundbreaking study to investigate why cancer returns in some people and not others
In addition to these somatic mutations, which are the most frequent, other mutations in several genes have been discovered, including BRAF, c-MET, DDR2, HER2, MAP2K1, NRAS, PIK3CA, and RET mutations.
Moreover, the prevalence of the RET mutation in adenocarcinoma was estimated to be 1.7%, and the prevalence of DDR2 mutation in lung cancer was 2.2%.
With regard to treatment, discoveries of gene mutations have allowed the development of targeted therapies, which are considered more effective for survival than chemotherapy in patients with advanced mutated disease.
Considering the potential aggressiveness of niche mutations in this context, the technological advances of next-generation sequencing, which is currently used in clinical practice, represents a precise approach to identifying a large panel of mutations in oncologic patients.
The Armini Research Team concluded:
The correct selection of mutations will be helpful in terms of the greater efficacy of treatment in association with better prognosis and a higher quality of life for oncologic patients. " Source:
Oncotarget Journal reference:
Aramini, B., et al. (2020) Overall survival in patients with lung adenocarcinoma harboring “niche” mutations: an observational study. Oncotarget . doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.27472 .