New approach to classify metastatic patients enabling personalised treatments

Manuel Valiente.

Fundación del Sector Público Estatal Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas Carlos III, Spain.

Metastatic cancer accounts for most cancer-related deaths. Current treatment decisions largely rely on the biology of the primary tumour and overlook the changes that occur once cancer spreads. This project proposes a new approach that classifies metastatic tumours in the brain into biologically defined groups according to their treatment vulnerabilities.

The TheraCluster platform uses transcriptomic profiling, unsupervised clustering and pathway analysis of patient-derived brain metastases to define reproducible metastatic subgroups based on actionable therapeutic vulnerabilities rather than tumour origin. The team has developed a patent-protected minimal four-gene classifier for assigning tumours to a cluster and is compatible with liquid-biopsy and imaging-based approaches. A pilot programme will assess integration of the platform into clinical practice through the RENACER national network of 21 hospitals.

The platform could reduce uncertainty in advanced cancer and help hospitals and pharmaceutical companies develop more efficient, metastasis-focused strategies. The platform is also potentially extendable to other metastatic contexts.

STAGE 2