Could we detect treatment resistance in oesophagogastric cancer before it even begins?
Cancer types:
Oesophageal cancer
Project period:
–
Research institute:
University of Oxford
Award amount:
£231,544
Location:
United Kingdom
Dr Eileen Parkes and her team in Oxford want to better understand the genetics of a very aggressive type of oesophagogastric cancer. They hope they will find a way to tell how and when a cancer will become resistant to treatment and most crucially how to overcome this resistance.
Why is this research needed?
Oesophagogastric cancer begins in the stomach or in the food pipe, also known as the oesophagus. Genetic differences between individual tumours can directly impact how oesophagogastric cancer can be treated, and unfortunately, how effective these treatments are. Sadly, cancers like these are labelled untreatable…
Luckily, our Curestarter researchers don’t believe in the label ‘untreatable’ and actively search out ‘hard-to-treat’ cancers, including this one. Dr Parkes and her extraordinary team are looking at our bodies’ immune system and want to understand how it is linked to treatment resistance with the ultimate goal of overcoming it and making this ‘hard-to-treat’ cancer, completely treatable.
I’m motivated by tackling some of the biggest challenges in cancer research. Chromosomally unstable cancers have some of the poorest outcomes, and I want to help change that. As a medical oncologist and early-phase trialist, I often meet people who are on their last line of treatment, and that experience drives my determination to do better.
What is the science behind this project?
One genetic feature that impacts treatment is called ‘chromosomal instability. This is when cancer cells continually rearrange their DNA to try and outsmart drugs, often ending in them becoming resistant to common anticancer treatments. Oesophagogastric cancer currently has few effective treatments, and with high rates of this chromosomal instability, there is a continued and urgent problem where patients are developing resistance to treatment. Currently, there are no approved treatments for patients with cancers that have a high level of chromosomal instability.
Dr Parkes’ lab have recently developed cutting edge, new esophagogastric cancer models that include one with chromosomal instability. Using their models, the team have already been able to identify how particular immune cells are linked to inflammation and treatment resistance in aggressive cancers. Specifically they’ve discovered that chromosomal instability is a driver of this resistance.
The team of Curestarters want to take this discovery a step further and create detailed profiles of how our immune cells act. Using blood samples from patients, they will look at how these behaviours change in response to active treatment.
Once they understand the process better, they want to use this method to track treatment resistance in active esophagogastric cancer patients starting from as early after diagnosis as possible. The earlier we can catch this change the more options patients will have, so the stronger their chance of survival.
Next, Dr Parkes’ team plan to find out more about the immune cells they know are linked to inflammation and treatment resistance. They will use this to look for clues towards new, vital, treatment strategies for esophagogastric cancer.
What difference could this project make to patients in the future?
At the core of this project, is a profound hope for new treatments for a cancer currently labelled ‘untreatable’. Dr Parkes’ lab specialises in seeking out cancer that are the ‘hardest-to-treat’ and focus their efforts on finding treatments for them. This is a vital line of hope for patients. Finding new ways to treat esophagogastric cancer and overcome resistance to current treatments inspires hope that soon this cancer will stop being ‘untreatable’.
If we can discover a person’s cancer is prone to resistance much earlier in their diagnosis, then they will have access to a much more tailored and effective treatment plans. These kind of advancements are crucial as we take every step we can towards a world where no life is cut short by cancer.
Complete United Kingdom
Oesophageal cancer
By better understanding how oesophageal cancer first emerges researchers hope to find new ways to prevent this disease and improve survival rates.
Researcher: Dr Maria Alcolea
Understanding the role of mutation interactions in oesophageal cancer
Complete Germany
Oesophageal cancer
By comparing oesophageal cancer cells to healthy cells researchers hope to find clues towards much needed new treatments and improve the poor survival rates.
Researcher: Dr Denes Hnisz
Unravelling the genetic background of oesophageal cancer
Complete United Kingdom
Oesophageal cancer
Oesophageal cancer is very tricky to diagnose making it hard to treat, so researchers want to find new markers to detect it earlier and improve survival rates.
Researcher: Dr Maria Alcolea
Finding ways to detect oesophageal cancer sooner
Donate today to start new cures
Be part of the united effort to stop lives being cut short by cancer.