Tissue stiffness in HER2-negative breast cancer, the most common type, can directly contribute to disease progression and metastasis, which can have serious consequences on patients.

The work was a collaboration between researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences and clinicians in Spain. The study was published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
High Mechanical Conditioning by Tumor Extracellular Matrix Stiffness Is a Predictive Biomarker for Antifibrotic Therapy in HER2-Negative Breast Cancer

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A diagnostic test developed at the University of Arizona, the MeCo ScoreTM, was evaluated by researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center under the direction of Miguel Quintela-Fandino, MD.

They found that the test may be able to predict the chance of relapse or recurrence in patients with early-stage breast cancer.

Role of MeCo Scores in Predicting Breast Cancer Recurrence

In neoadjuvant settings, patients with high MeCo Scores had significantly lower survival rates than those with low MeCo Scores when standard chemotherapy was recommended alone.

However, this disparity in survival decreased for patients who also received antifibrotic therapy. Antifibrotic therapy decreased the chance of recurrence by 62% among patients with high MeCo Scores, with an average follow-up length of 9.7 years following therapy.

The link between breast cancer progression to bone metastasis and fibrosis was first described in a 2021 study published in Cell Reports and authored by Ghassan Mouneimne, PhD.

That study determined the MeCo Score is a prognostic biomarker in breast cancer, while this new study establishes the MeCo Score as a predictive biomarker for antifibrotic benefit in HER2-negative breast cancer patients.

Utilizing MeCo Score to Optimize Antifibrotic Therapy in Breast Cancer Treatment

“In the case of this collaboration with our colleagues in Spain, we were able to determine that a drug with no previously known benefit to breast cancer patients, an antifibrotic called nintedanib, led to better outcomes when used in conjunction with traditional chemotherapy,” Mouneimne said. “The use of the MeCo Score was crucial to this effort.”

Mouneimne is hopeful that this work is a major step toward U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the MeCo Score.

“There’s certainly a lot more work ahead of us, as it will require more clinical validation to get FDA approval,” Mouneimne said, “but this really is a big step in the right direction.”

Mouneimne’s previous work identifying the link between fibrosis and advanced stages of breast cancer provided the mechanistic basis for developing the MeCo Score and led to the launch of MeCo Diagnostics LLC, a startup working to advance the technology so it can be used in the clinic.

“We’re hopeful that additional clinical confirmation of this discovery will firmly establish a new way to determine which patients may benefit from this fundamentally new therapeutic modality,” Mouneimne said.

“As a generic-emergent drug, nintedanib is set for a substantial drop in price in the next couple of years, which may help mitigate the rising cost of treating breast cancer. It’s all about seeking new ways to personalize care and find more cost-effective treatments”.

“We are in the initial stages of planning a prospective, multicenter trial using the MeCo Score to guide nintedanib treatment in patients with luminal, ER-positive breast cancer,” Mouneimne added.

Pavani Chalasani, MD, of the George Washington Cancer Center in Washington, D.C., will serve as the principal investigator for that trial. The goal is for the MeCo Score, which is determined using early biopsies, to enable patients to decide whether anti-fibrotic therapy would be beneficial in the neoadjuvant setting before surgery.

Reference:

1. High Mechanical Conditioning by Tumor Extracellular Matrix Stiffness Is a Predictive Biomarker for Antifibrotic Therapy in HER2-Negative Breast Cancer – (https:aacrjournals.org/clincancerres/article-abstract/doi/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-24-1518/749050/)

Source-Eurekalert