Your new post is loading...
Breast cancer patients whose cancer spreads to the brain may soon have new treatment options, thanks to research led by CU Cancer Center member Diana Cittelly, PhD.
|
Scooped by BigField GEG Tech |
Scoop.it!
No comment yet.
Sign up to comment
Brain metastases from breast cancer develop in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Current treatment options for brain metastases include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and targeted therapies, but these have limited success and may worsen neurological function. Because 80% of women with brain metastases from breast cancer die within a year of diagnosis, Cittelly and her team want to find a way to target cancer cells after they have spread to the brain.
Working with cells in the lab, they have identified the interleukin 13 receptor alpha 2 (IL13Ra2) as a likely target for treatment. This is a protein that is found at increased levels in cancer cells that metastasize to other locations in the body, particularly the brain and lungs. In addition, the protein has shown vulnerability to treatment with CAR T cells in clinical trials of brain tumors. The researchers' next step is to initiate a collaboration with CAR T cell experts to better understand how CAR T cell therapy might target IL13Ra2.
Ultimately, Cittelly hopes to see clinical trials for patients with breast cancer that has metastasized to the brain, as they are currently excluded from clinical trials.
Â