Breast Cancer Grand Round
Targeting the cell cycle machinery in breast cancer
4 September 2024
Join A/Prof Shom Goel as he presents his research on acquired CDK4/6 inhibitor resistance and novel strategies to overcome it. He will discuss new insights and opportunities on targeting the cell cycle machinery in breast cancer.
Pharmacologic inhibitors of kinases that drive the cell cycle (cyclin-dependent kinases) have revolutionised the treatment of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Now that these agents have been a part of clinical practice for some years, new challenges have arisen – most notably the development of resistance.
Acquired resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors, commonly used in treating ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer, poses a significant clinical challenge. This resistance often develops through various mechanisms, including the loss of tumor suppressor proteins like RB1, amplification of the CDK4 or CDK6 genes, and activation of alternative signaling pathways such as PI3K/AKT/mTOR and MAPK/ERK. These changes enable cancer cells to bypass the G1/S checkpoint control, rendering CDK4/6 inhibitors ineffective.
Chair
Stephen Luen
Medical Oncologist and translational researcher, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
The VCCC Alliance Breast Cancer Grand Round is targeted at a clinical audience and features open discussion about real cases and patients. While these cases are de-identified, the imagery, content and discussion can be graphic. It is not appropriate for consumer participants.
Associate Professor Shom Goel
A/Prof Goel leads a research group that positions itself at the intersection of cell cycle biology, epigenetics, and tumour immunology. He has made seminal insights into the mechanisms underlying the activity of and resistance to cell cycle inhibitory drugs.
Most recently, his team has focused on understanding therapy-induced senescence in cancer and he has been awarded a Snow Medical Fellowship and US DOD Era of Hope Scholar to support this work. A/Prof Goel serves as PI randomised clinical trials in breast cancer, all of which stem directly from his laboratory discoveries. He also served as Chair of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Education Committee in 2022-3.
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