Dr Priscilla Brastianos, page-117

A new story - note the header on the story.

20% of all cancers move to the brain - and according to these worlds best researchers..... 43% are a type of brain cancer that is treated by the KZA drug. It is the only drug in clinical trials for this purpose and Kazia own more than 70 world patients.

Currently there is little or no alternative treatment - unsurprisingly to note, the market in brain mets is many billions of dollars.

Importantly for any people new to this company....these are not clinical trials being carried out somewhere in eastern Europe.....or by some non-mainstream medical people.  On the contrary - the US Governments National Council Institute is paying for this trial. The hospitals involved are household names such as Harvard Medical, University of California Hospital UCLA, Cleveland Clinic and others from the top 10 USA.  

A unique and extraordinary investing opportunity here for new investors. Research it yourself.

"fundamental change - fundamental to treatment choice"  words we have not seen before, from these worlds best authorities. Amazing stuff



September 2020 Edition Vol.11, Issue 9

​

Therapeutic Approach to Brain Metastases Might Undergo Fundamental Change

By Ted Bosworth
Four major takeaways stand out from the recently held 2020 Virtual Conference on Brain Metastases hosted by the Society of NeuroOncology. One is that actionable mutations of brain metastases and primary tumors are not necessarily the same, initiating a potential reorientation toward individualized therapy. Another, drawn from a substudy of a phase 3 trial, is that the overall survival (OS) benefit from a recently approved HER2-targeted therapy for metastatic breast cancer is at least as good in those with brain metastases as in those with extracranial metastatic disease but no brain metastases.

A third, is that long-term cognitive outcomes are worse following whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) than stereotactic radiosurgery (STS) for brain metastases even if long-term impact on quality of life is more mixed. Finally, new work shows that circulating tumor cells (CTC) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with brain metastases correlate with survival.
Genetic Characterization Might Profoundly Alter Management of Brain Metastases

Several independent groups have shown that the genetic evolution of brain metastases and primary tumors is different, but now there is emerging evidence that it is clinically relevant. A small pilot study showing intracranial response and clinical benefit from therapy individualized to driver mutations of brain metastases has provided the basis for a major new initiative.
“Because of the success of this [pilot] study, we have now initiated a national biomarker-driven trial in brain metastases. It is a trial that is up and running,” according to Priscilla K. Brastianos, MD, Director of the Central Nervous System Metastasis Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

This phase 2 national trial with funding from the National Cancer Institute is evaluating genetic testing as a guide to brain metastasis treatment selection. Dr. Brastianos, the chair, said more than 300 institutions are participating.

Primary tumors and their metastases share common genetic ancestry, but there are now several published papers showing that these have a “branched evolution,” meaning that these tumors and their primaries evolve independently, according to Dr. Brastianos. With evolution, the therapy most effective for one will not necessarily be the most effective for the other.

“More than 50% of brain metastases have different drivers than the primary tumor,” said Dr. Brastianos, citing her work and the work of others. It was this observation that led to a pilot study of a therapy personalized for driver mutations of brain metastases in 15 heavily pretreated patients with a mix of primary tumor histologies. Eight achieved intracranial benefit, defined as complete response, partial response, or stable disease, meeting the primary endpoint.

In the national trial, enrollment is open to patients with brain and extracranial site tissue for genomic sequencing. Actionable mutations are being treated with targeted therapies, such as inhibitors of mutations of the CDK, P13K, and NTRK/ROS1 genes. The trial has the potential to profoundly alter management of brain metastases.

If the biomarker trial supports an individualized approach, genetic characterization of brain metastases is likely to become fundamental to treatment choice. If true, Dr. Brastianos expressed hope that liquid biopsy of the CSF will prove to be a viable alternative to craniotomies.