DOHA: Presentations related to pre-clinical and clinical trial developments in breast cancer research with insights provided on breast cancer in Qatar and in the wider Arab population were the highlights of Sidra Medical and Research Center (Sidra)-BRECIS – the first conference dedicated to breast cancer immunotherapy held in Doha.
The two-day event, organised by Sidra and part of the popular Sidra Symposia Series, was held in partnership with the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. It attracted more than 350 researchers, clinicians, allied health specialists and scientists.
Experts such as Dr Salha Boujassoum from HMC (Qatar), Dr Lotfi Chouchane from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar and Prof Hammouda Boussen from Institut Salah Azaiz (Tunisia) were among the key presenters.
“It is exciting to see the level of interest and progress on breast cancer research, particularly the use of immunotherapy. It also serves to highlight the world-class level of expertise and research that is currently under way in Qatar not only at Sidra but also at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar,Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Qatar University and other institutions like Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI). We are no longer spectators but have actually joined the ranks in the global race to improve treatment for aggressive diseases such as breast cancer,” said Davide Bedognetti, the Director of Tumour Biology, Immunology and Therapy Section, Sidra Medical and Research Center, who also chaired the conference.
Findings related to immunotherapy trials in breast cancer were presented by experts such Prof Nora Disis from University of Washington (USA), Prof Barbara Seliger from Martin-Luther Universitat (Germany), Prof Holbrook Kohrt from Stanford School of Medicine (USA), and Prof Brendon Coventry from the University of Adelaide, among others.
In particular, Prof Leisha Emens from John Hopkins Medicine (USA) presented the results of one of the first two trials showing the activity of a novel immunotherapeutic agent (anti-PD1 ligand) in metastatic breast cancer.
“Although this is an early trial conducted in a limited number of patients, it is extremely promising as 33 percent of the patients responded to immunotherapy, and the responses were very durable. It tells us that we have to push forward and further continue this fascinating approach in a breast cancer setting,” said Dr Bedognetti.
Dr Bedognetti also presented data of a genomic analysis based on The Cancer Genome Atlas repository. The study was conducted with a team from QCRI led by Dr Michele Ceccarelli and identified potential genetic alterations in cancer cells responsible for driving anti-cancer immune responsiveness. The investigators aim to validate these results in the Qatari population through a collaborative project with HMC physicians led by Dr Salha Bujassoum, Senior Consultant Hematology/Oncology, National Center for Cancer and Research, HMC.
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