Biochemist and researcher, Mariano Barbacid, has expressed concerns over the limitations of precision medicine in addressing cancer due to the majority of genes mutated in cancer being not pharmacologically addressable. Barbacid made these remarks on Friday at the La Paz university hospital during the precision medicine and onco-pathological approach conference.
Barbacid explained that while it is possible to cure childhood tumors with very few additional mutations using a single drug, it is “impossible” for a single drug to work in adults with advanced tumors and numerous mutations.
Despite advancements in precision medicine, Barbacid highlighted that the vast number of mutations implicated in human cancer poses a significant challenge. He emphasized that resistance to treatments in cancer has multiple causes, and tumor heterogeneity further complicates the effectiveness of precision medicine. He added that the future of precision medicine may involve using “degrading inhibitors” to reprogram cancer-related proteins, but toxicity remains a limiting factor.
The biochemist also identified the KRAS oncogene as the most urgent challenge for precision medicine, as it is mutated in a quarter of all adult tumors. Furthermore, the discovery of preneoplastic lesions of the KRAS oncogene in the pancreases of people who died for reasons other than cancer is a cause for concern.
Barbacid concluded that overcoming the limitations in precision medicine is crucial, particularly in treating solid, adult, and advanced tumors, which are the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. He added that if these tumors could be cured with precision medicine, it would represent one of the greatest advances in oncology. EFE