Indian Scientists Uncover Key Genomic Factors Behind Breast Cancer Therapy Resistance
Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai, and the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani, have uncovered key genomic factors contributing to resistance to hormone (endocrine) therapy in oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, the most common subtype of breast cancer in India and worldwide.
The findings, recently published in Communications Biology, a prestigious Nature group journal, provide crucial insights into why some patients do not respond or stop responding to hormone therapy, paving the way for new targeted treatment strategies.
These findings offer significant clinical implications, including the potential repurposing of DNA-damaging drugs for patients who develop hormone therapy resistance. Dr. Sudeep Gupta, Clinician Scientist Laboratory at ACTREC and Director of Tata Memorial Centre, said that since resistant tumours struggle to repair their DNA, they could be vulnerable to drugs that exploit this weakness.
Dr. Nidhan Biswas, Associate Professor and lead investigator of the study at NIBMG, highlighted that these discoveries mark an important step in personalised cancer treatment. He further added that by identifying patients at high risk of drug resistance early, doctors can tailor treatment strategies to improve outcomes.
Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in India, accounting for 28.2% of all female cancers, with an estimated 216,108 cases in 2022. Of these, approximately 50-60% are oestrogen receptor-positive, meaning the cancer cells express a protein called ooestrogen receptor (ER), making them susceptible to hormone therapy.
