An international group have discovered associations between pathogenic variants of the BRCA 1 and 2 genes and four types of cancer. Published in ESMO Open, the findings expand the potential for personalized medicine to several cancer types that currently have limited treatment options and poor prognoses.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the predominant histological subtype of esophageal cancer, accounting for approximately 90% of cases worldwide, with a particularly high incidence in Asian populations. ESCC is characterized by aggressive behavior and pronounced tumor heterogeneity. Although surgical resection remains the primary curative treatment, patients with locally advanced disease frequently experience recurrence and distant metastasis, resulting in poor clinical outcomes.

A University of Calgary study led by members of the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, published in Nature Medicine, takes a closer look at why patients often relapse after immunotherapy by studying how the myeloma cells adapt to treatment.  By understanding how the cancer builds resistance, future treatments can be designed to take this into account with the goal of preventing another relapse.