Breast Cancer FGFR Clinical Trials

Breast cancer with FGFR mutation clinical trials evaluate new treatments for breast cancer patients who have tested positive for an amplification of one of the FGFR genes. The fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR) are located on the surfaces of cells which external molecules bind to. For healthy cells, growth factor receptors are responsible for allowing cells to reproduce. If the gene is mutated, changes occur in the signaling of the receptor therefore cancerous cells can develop and reproduce instead of healthy cells.

There are 4 types of FGFRs and a total of 22 fibroblast growth factors (FGF) that bind to them. Amplifications can occur for any of FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3, and FGFR4. Each FGFR can vary in which cancer type is involved, but breast cancer is the most common across the four FGFRs. Although not common, FGFR amplifications can occur in the following cancer types:

• Breast cancer
• Gastric cancer
• Lung cancer
• Colon cancer
• Bladder cancer

Testing for FGFR Breast Cancer

Breast cancer FGFR clinical trials require a positive test result from cancer patients in order to be eligible for enrollment. To test someone for the FGFR amplification, there are several options. In every scenario, a tissue sample of the tumor will be collected by a doctor and sent to a lab for an analysis:

• Genetic tests specifically for the 4 FGFRs
• Genetic tests for a larger subset of genes
• Next Generation Sequencing to test the entire human genome

All of these methods can be beneficial for cancer patients to determine if the FGFR amplification is present. Talk with your doctor to determine which course of action is right for you. A positive test may mean that the patient is eligible for therapies targeting the FGFRs. In some cases, the FGFR amplification can identify which standard treatments the cancer cells will be resistant to. For example, some FGFR cancer cases have been observed to have a resistance towards chemotherapy, a common treatment for breast cancer.

Breast Cancer FGFR Clinical Trials

There are 7 current studies available for breast cancer patients who have been tested for the FGFR amplification. However, there are many more studies available for other cancer types targeting the FGFR amplification, as well as trials for breast cancer patients who have not received genetic testing. The treatments available in breast cancer FGFR clinical trials include targeted therapies such as:

• TAS120
• Debio 1347
• Dovitinib
• Ponatinib
• Lucitanib
• Ninedenib
• Pazopanib

Eligibility criteria is different for each therapy and clinical trial. If you are interested in clinical trials for FGFR breast cancer, speak with your doctor to see if you could possibly enroll.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

http://targetedcancercare.massgeneral.org/