Resistance to chemotherapy

Breast cancer patients with seemingly similar diagnoses may have very different response to chemotherapy. We perform genetic analyses on tumours from patients that have been treated with a chemotherapeutic drug prior to surgery and link our findings to detailed registrations of the patients’ response to the specific drug. This enables us to identify genetic alterations that are related to sensitivity or resistance against the different drugs.

The goal of this project is to identify biomarkers which can be used to guide the treatment for each individual patient, so that the treatment will be as personalized as possible. This will also ensure that patients may avoid the side effects of drugs with no effect. This project has led to the implementation of several clinical studies.

These studies have over the last years also been expanded to include other type of cancer drugs, such as PARP inhibitors and anti-HER2 treatment.

 

Key publications:

• Eikesdal et al. Annals of Oncology, 2021
• Knappskog et al. Molecular Oncol., 2015
• Knappskog et al. Breast Cancer Res., 2012
• Geisler et al. Cancer Res., 2001
• Aas et al. Nature Med., 1996