Overcoming Resistance to Targeted Therapies
Overcoming Resistance to Targeted Therapies
Dr Lovly concluded with her thoughts about the general challenges facing researchers addressing the problem of acquired resistance to targeted therapy in cancer: How do we effectively address the heterogeneity of resistance mechanisms among different individuals, and even in a single individual with multiple different resistance mutations? How do we design trials that encompass systematic analyses of biomarkers that are found in very small percentages of patients? What are effective combination therapies? Do you overcome the problem of resistance?
Even as progress is being made, resistance remains a difficult problem. "Resistance is very complex. It's probably multifactorial, and different from one tumor to another," Dr Rimawi said.
Disclosure:Dr Rimawi has received research funding from GlaxoSmithKline. Dr Lovly has received honoraria from Harrison and Star, Novartis, and Sequenom, and research funding from AstraZeneca and Novartis; she has served as a consultant or advisor for Novartis and Pfizer, and on the speakers' bureau for Abbott Molecular and Qiagen. Dr Tabernero has served as a consultant or advisor for Amgen, Celgene, Chugai Pharmaceuticals, ImClone Systems, Lilly, Merck KGaA, Millennium, Novartis, Roche/Genentech, Sanofi, Symphogen, and Taiho Pharmaceutical.
Unanswered Questions and Challenges Ahead
Dr Lovly concluded with her thoughts about the general challenges facing researchers addressing the problem of acquired resistance to targeted therapy in cancer: How do we effectively address the heterogeneity of resistance mechanisms among different individuals, and even in a single individual with multiple different resistance mutations? How do we design trials that encompass systematic analyses of biomarkers that are found in very small percentages of patients? What are effective combination therapies? Do you overcome the problem of resistance?
Even as progress is being made, resistance remains a difficult problem. "Resistance is very complex. It's probably multifactorial, and different from one tumor to another," Dr Rimawi said.
Disclosure:Dr Rimawi has received research funding from GlaxoSmithKline. Dr Lovly has received honoraria from Harrison and Star, Novartis, and Sequenom, and research funding from AstraZeneca and Novartis; she has served as a consultant or advisor for Novartis and Pfizer, and on the speakers' bureau for Abbott Molecular and Qiagen. Dr Tabernero has served as a consultant or advisor for Amgen, Celgene, Chugai Pharmaceuticals, ImClone Systems, Lilly, Merck KGaA, Millennium, Novartis, Roche/Genentech, Sanofi, Symphogen, and Taiho Pharmaceutical.
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