Improving the effectiveness of radiation for breast cancer treatment.

Impact

Radiation is employed in a majority of breast cancer patients as at least one component of their therapeutic regimen. However, resistance, recurrence, and toxicity pose significant challenges for some patients. Dr. Haffty and his team are conducting a series of studies including laboratory explorations of the biology driving radiation resistance; translational studies evaluating genetic correlates with recurrence, toxicity, and outcomes; and a clinical trial testing short course radiation before surgery. All are done with the goal of improving outcomes in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation.

Progress Thus Far

For their translational study, Dr. Haffty’s team is nearing completion of their robust database of approximately 1,000 patients who were treated with radiation therapy. Ultimately, the data will include 10 years of clinical follow-up information, patient demographics, and sequencing data for over 6,000 genes from patient blood. This collection of data could lead to new insights on the origins of radiation response and toxicity. In the last year, the team also launched a new clinical trial which applies a short course of radiation, where the boost of radiation is delivered before surgery, to see if this improves patient outcomes. This trial has exceeded accrual expectations, with over half of the goal number of patients accrued to date. 

What’s next

Using the 1,000-patient database, the team’s initial analysis will look for patterns between genetic alterations in several DNA repair genes—which could contribute to radiation resistance—with patient outcomes. Their findings could point to potential radiation response biomarkers, or therapeutic targets for combination therapies with radiation. In addition, their laboratory studies will continue evaluating how radiation resistance occurs.