Paper suggests broader applicability for PARP inhibition

In a paper published Monday in Nature Medicine, researchers suggested that more cancer patients may benefit from PARP inhibition than previously thought. The authors estimated that up to 22% of breast cancer patients, rather than the 1-5% believed previously, have breast cancer 1 early onset (BRCA1)/BRCA2 profiles that suggest they could be sensitive to PARP inhibition.

Using whole genome sequencing data from 22 breast cancer patients with biallelic BRCA1/2 mutations, researchers identified a genomic signature that included substitutions, large deletions and rearrangements that were distinct from signatures in sporadic cancer patients. Applying the data to additional patient samples, they further tuned the signature into a predictor of BRCA1/2 deficiency called HRDetect. ...