Researchers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center have discovered a novel therapy combination that could offer new hope to ovarian cancer patients who do not respond to existing treatments. Conducted entirely at the University of Colorado Anschutz, this research has advanced from the laboratory to a Phase 1 clinical trial on the campus.

The findings, published today in Cancer Research Communications, outline a promising strategy that combines a PARP inhibitor, a targeted drug used to treat certain types of ovarian cancer, with a novel therapy, SM08502, to attack cancer from two directions. This innovative approach boosts the effectiveness of the treatment, even for patients who are no longer responding to PARP inhibitor therapy. “This achievement exemplifies true bench-to-bedside innovation entirely done at CU Anschutz,” said the paper’s first author Bradley Corr, MD, associate professor and director of clinical research in gynecologic oncology at CU Anschutz. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first clinical trial to successfully combine these classes of drugs. While the concept has been discussed before, no one has moved it into the clinic until now. That’s what makes this approach truly novel.”

The largest international gathering of breast cancer researchers returns to San Antonio and continues to lead as the hub for scientific breakthroughs. Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, in partnership with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), is hosting the 48^th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Dec. 9-12.

A study from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, indicates that the high expression of the estrogen receptor is the main factor preventing the most common type of breast cancer, luminal breast cancer, from responding to immunotherapy.

The high presence of the estrogen receptor sequesters the LCOR molecule, whose action on tumor cells is necessary to make tumors visible to the immune system. In experimental models, the researchers found that combining immunotherapy with endocrine therapy allows LCOR to function and the immune system to attack the tumor.

At the same time, they have generated a modified version of the LCOR molecule that sensitizes tumors to immunotherapy, including those with hormone receptors. The next goal is to study this molecule combined with immunotherapy in clinical trials.

New research by experts at the University of Sydney shows that breast density notification is leaving some women confused and anxious about their breast health. Breast density notification is being rolled out across Australia, but evidence suggests that women do not feel more informed by it. Between 25 and 40 percent of women have denser breast tissue which can make it harder for cancers to be detected through a mammogram.