PI3K/AKT Pathway Potential Target for Treating Brain Mets in Melanoma
Source: OncLive, April 2016
Activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway may play a role in the development of metastases in melanoma, according to a preclinical study published in Cell Report.1
In the study, researchers found that expression of activated AKT1 resulted in highly metastatic melanomas with lung and brain metastases in 67% and 17% of the mice tested in the study, respectively. Silencing of the tumor suppressor PTEN in BRAF V600 melanomas also contributed to the activation of AKT1, and resulted in decreased tumor latency and the development of lung and brain metastases in nearly 80% of tumor-bearing mice.
In particular, brain metastases mark a significant problem in patients with melanoma, says Michael Davies, MD, an investigator on the Cell Report study.
“Historically, between 40% and 60% of patients with stage IV melanoma will develop CNS involvement at some point in their disease,” says Davies, associate professor, Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. “Brain metastasis has been one of the leading causes of death from melanoma, with patients having a survival, on average, of only 4 months from the diagnosis of CNS involvement.”