The AURORA pilot study for molecular screening of patients with advanced breast cancer–a study of the breast international group

Abstract

Molecular screening: Multinational testing doable, but technical challenges remain A pilot study demonstrated that a large-scale, international screening programme for women with metastatic breast cancer is feasible. The study, coordinated by the Institut Jules Bordet and the Breast International Group, aimed to determine whether biopsies and blood could be collected from women with metastatic breast cancer across Europe and sent to a central laboratory for targeted gene sequencing. Genetic information was successfully obtained for 26 of the 41 participants, 19 of whom had mutations that could be targeted with a known drug, potentially influencing treatment decision-making. They concluded that genomic testing is logistically ready for international molecular screening in routine clinical settings laying the groundwork for the parent European AURORA molecular screening programme which aims at recruiting 1300 metastatic breast cancer patients. However, technical challenges remain to be addressed to ensure the accuracy and robustness across different sequencing platforms.