In this era of personalized medicine, innovative therapies are targeting the genetic fingerprint of an individual’s cancer cells to combat cancer more effectively with fewer side effects. Researchers with the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Network have been at the forefront of personalized medicine. Now, they aim to push the boundaries farther with a clinical trial called I-PREDICT.
Typically, there may be changes in a patient's DNA that are driving the cancer. It could involve one dominant change or a host of other changes in the DNA. The question is: What is the composite effect of all these changes, as opposed to one or two?
For example, a patient may have a mutation in the ERBB2 gene. But among multiple patients having this change in common, physicians might find what they call companion alterations in other genes.
The behavior of the cancer is not likely determined by a single change; it may be determined by several. If multiple alterations can be targeted, there may be a greater chance of keeping the cancer under control longer.
The I-PREDICT trial is testing the effectiveness of tailoring therapies to individual patients’ unique molecular alterations based on information researchers collect from DNA, RNA and cell proteins. A molecular tumor board gathers all the data and decides on a custom treatment combination for each patient. No two patients are the same, and they are treated based on their unique molecular profiles.
Study participants are treated with approved therapies. This can include a combination of chemotherapy, targeted therapies (to identify and eliminate specific types of cancer cells) and immunotherapy. Some of the drugs may target multiple molecular changes.
I-PREDICT looks at pathways involved in cancer’s development or progression, and the most efficient way to target alterations while minimizing side effects. Patients are treated with standard drugs, but the combination is often novel. Researchers are also evaluating new drugs as they get approved to see if they can be incorporated into a patient's treatment program.
The trial is for people with all solid tumors, such as breast, lung, prostate and head and neck cancers. It is open to people with early- or late-stage cancers and those who may have exhausted standard treatment options.
