DR-316 Evaluating therapeutic efficacy of ERBB TKIs on patients harboring ERBB alterations

The EGFR family of receptor tyrosine kinases are frequently mutated (2-30% of cases in various cancers). Recently, samples harboring co-occurring mutations in EGFR family of proteins have been reported. In our lab experiments, we have observed an additive effect on transforming potential, when two mutations in different proteins are co-expressed in the same cell (compared to controls). We want to examine the prevalence of such pairs of mutations in the clinical data, and study their association to patient survival, and investigate the efficacy of ERBB-targeting therapeutics. Moreover, we will study the differences in mutational spectrum of primary vs metastatic samples.

Klaus Elenius, Turun Yliopisto, Finland