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Study opens the door for targeted therapies for rare women’s cancer
May 11, 2017
New research led by Dr.
Johanne Weberpals
is providing hope that women with a rare understudied cancer may soon gain access to new targeted therapies. Vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) affects just one in 25,000 people, with about half of cases related to the human papilloma virus (HPV). No targeted therapies have been approved for the disease and the last clinical trial ended five years ago. Dr. Weberpals and her colleagues sequenced 50 genes from 43 VSCC patients - the most comprehensive study of its kind - and found that many of the cancers had mutations that might make them susceptible to experimental targeted therapies. For example, 14 percent of the patients with HPV-related VSCC had mutations in a gene called FGFR3, which is currently being targeted in clinical trials for other cancers. This research opens the door to testing FGFR3-targeted therapies and others in VSCC patients. See
Clinical Cancer Research
for details.
Authors:
Weberpals JI, Lo B, Duciaume MM, Spaans JN, Clancy AA, Dimitroulakos J, Goss GD, Sekhon HS.
Funders:
The Ottawa Hospital Foundation and The Ottawa Hospital Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
The Ottawa Hospital: Inspired by research. Driven by compassion
The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus on research and learning helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care. See www.ohri.ca for more information about research at The Ottawa Hospital.
University of Ottawa: —A crossroads of cultures and ideas
The University of Ottawa is home to over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. www.uottawa.ca
Media Contact
Jennifer Ganton
Director, Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 x 73325
Cell: 613-614-5253
jganton@ohri.ca