Targeting HRAS Mutations in Breast Cancer With Sam Kareff, MD, MPH
Large population next-generation sequencing of tumors for mutations in certain key oncogenes is an important avenue of research for discovering genes that can predict survival or even support the use of targeted therapies for certain patients. At the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, Dr. Sam Kareff, MD, MPH, presented a poster about his research about how mutations in the oncogene HRAS affect prognosis and response to therapy in breast cancer. He determined that certain types of HRAS mutation are associated with poor survival and that patients with these mutations may benefit from targeted therapies.
This podcast episode was recorded live at the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago by Oncology Data Advisor and ConveyMed.
Oncology Data Advisor: Welcome to Oncology Data Advisor, I'm Keira Smith. Today, I'm here at the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago, speaking with Dr. Sam Kareff from the University of Miami. Thank you so much for joining us today.
Sam Kareff, MD, MPH: Thanks for having me.
Oncology Data Advisor: So, would you like to tell us about your poster that you presented here?
Dr. Kareff: Sure. So, for our group, in conjunction at the University of Miami and the Caris Precision Oncology Alliance, I presented a poster looking at HRAS mutations in breast cancer. It was a pretty exciting work because we looked at over 14,000 patients who submitted their tumor samples for what we call next-generation sequencing.
We looked for a specific gene alteration, HRAS, to see if there were any potential characteristics and also survival data that we could take a look at. We found some interesting findings, and these hopefully will translate into clinical trials moving forward that can help patients with these genetic mutations.
Oncology Data Advisor: Great. So what's the future of this research? What are the next steps for it?
Dr. Kareff: Actually, thankfully, there's already a targeted drug called tipifarnib that targets these HRAS mutations. It's been evaluated in other solid-tumor types, such as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, for which it has an accelerated kind of fast-track designation from the FDA. So, the hope, like I said, would be to translate this into the trial space for other solid tumor types, like breast cancer, lung cancer, et cetera.
Oncology Data Advisor: Great. Thank you. Is there anything else you'd like to share about your ASCO experience and some of the other research here?
Dr. Kareff: Oh, sure. This is actually my first ASCO, both in person and ever, and I think it's just been wonderful. I've really been able to kind of integrate myself into an oncology community. I've been just awed by a lot of the research that we've seen here. And, most importantly, I just kind of feel the hope that a lot of our providers and patients feel, and it's just really awesome to be here and take part in it.
Oncology Data Advisor: Yes, definitely. Thank you so much for stopping by and joining us.
Dr. Kareff: Thanks so much.
Thank you for listening to this podcast recorded live at the 2022 ASCO annual meeting by Oncology Data Advisor and ConveyMed. For more expert perspectives on the latest in cancer research and treatment, be sure to subscribe to the podcast at conveymed.io and oncdata.com. Don't forget to follow us on social media for news, exclusive interviews, and more.
About Dr. Kareff
Sam Kareff, MD, MPH, is a medical oncologist and hematologist fellow at the University of Miami, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Jackson Memorial Hospital. He has a special research interest in health advocacy and public policy in addition to cancer therapies.
For More Information
Kareff S, Rodriguez E, Dawar R et al (2022). Molecular characteristics and clinical outcomes of breast cancer with HRAS mutations. J Clin Oncol, 40(suppl_16). Abstract 561. DOI:10.1200/JCO.2022.40.16_suppl.561
Transcript edited for clarity. Any views expressed above are the speaker's own and do not necessarily reflect those of Oncology Data Advisor.
