Proteomics identifies biomarkers for chemotherapy response prediction in lung cancer
- Post by: OPL
- December 18, 2023
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Core question: Can we identify predictive protein biomarkers for the selection of patients benefiting from platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)?
Core insight: Our study published Nov 27th in Molecular Oncology presents the discovery of predictive biomarkers that can aid in distinguishing patients with NSCLC likely to derive clinical benefit from ACT from those that will not, and additionally identifies potential novel drug targets in ACT resistant patient populations.
Research results and possible improvements for patients The majority of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) eligible for surgery receive post-operative treatment with platinum-based drugs such as cisplatin with the intent of completely eradicating the tumor. However, a significant number of patients do not benefit due to drug resistance, and are left only with the severe toxic side-effects of these non-specific chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify protein markers that can aid in distinguishing patients with NSCLC likely to derive clinical benefit from platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) from those that will not.
Using mass spectrometry-based proteomics, we profiled tumor resection material of 2 independent, multi-center cohorts of patients with NSCLC who underwent ACT. Dedicated bioinformatics analyses subsequently demonstrated clear differences in the protein expression landscapes between responsive and drug resistant patient populations. This allowed us to pinpoint key protein determinants of platinum response, enabling not only the prospective selection of patients likely to respond to these chemotherapeutic regimens, but also presenting promising actionable targets in patients unlikely to respond.
Clinical application of our findings holds the promise of maximizing platinum-drug efficacy, minimizing toxicities and guiding treatment decisions towards alternative, non-platinum-based regimens in the future.
Link to website/publication:
Publication via Molecular Oncology website: https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1878-0261.13555