Targeting NTRK gene fusions on the ESMO OncologyPRO portal as a key resource relating to the detection and management of TRK fusion-positive cancer.


Targeting NTRK gene fusions

Prof. Andrea Sartore-Bianchi (medical oncologist), Assoc. Prof. Gerald Prager (medical oncologist), Dr Jaclyn Hechtman (molecular and surgical pathologist) and Prof. Fernando Lopez-Ríos (molecular and surgical pathologist) developed this educational resource.  With over 50,000 visits in 2 years, healthcare professionals continue to value the diagnostic and treatment guidance provided.

This resource aims to:

  1. Explore the importance of TRK fusion proteins as a therapeutic target and understand the clinical use of TRK inhibitors.
  2. Explain the mechanisms behind TRK fusion-driven tumour biology.
  3. Provide an overview of the different techniques used for NTRK gene fusion testing.
  4. Provide recommendations on testing for TRK fusion proteins

These topics are addressed over two modules. Module 1 provides an overview of cancers with NTRK gene fusions and their testing. Available treatments and those under development that target these fusions are also discussed. Module 2 provides an overview of how testing for NTRK gene fusions allows for the identification of patients who may benefit from TRK inhibitor therapy. The range of NTRK gene fusion testing methodologies available are reviewed.

COR2ED have donated this content to ESMO to ensure that the practical guide reflects today's best clinical practice in detecting and treating TRK fusion-positive cancer.

Fernando Lopez-Rios is the Chief of the Molecular Diagnostics Service at Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre (Madrid) and Professor of Pathology at Universidad Complutense (Madrid).

 

Dr Lopez-Rios has also been the Director of the Therapeutic Targets Laboratory at HM Hospitales (Spain) and a visiting researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York).

 

He is the 2023 recipient of the Mary J. Matthews Pathology & Transitional Research Award (International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, IASLC) and the Deputy Chair of the IASLC Pathology Committee.

 

His main clinical and research expertise is in cancer biomarker testing.

Prof. Fernando López-Ríos, MD, PhD has received financial support/sponsorship for research support, consultation, or speaker fees from the following companies:

AstraZeneca, Bayer, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda and Thermo Fisher. 

 

Andrea Sartore-Bianchi is the Director of the Division of Clinical Research and Innovation at Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda in Milano, Italy, and Associate Professor of Oncology at the University of Milano. He received his MD and postgraduate degree in Oncology at the University of Pavia, Italy, and subsequently conducted preclinical research at Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.

 

His main clinical and research interests include precision oncology and the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, particularly colorectal carcinomas, focusing on biomarkers of sensitivity/resistance to targeted therapies. He is principal and co-investigator in Phase I-III clinical trials for solid tumours and carried out initial studies paving the way for the use of RAS and Her2 as tumor tissue/ctDNA biomarkers in colorectal cancer. He has published 200 peer-reviewed articles in various medical journals with a H-index of 62 (Scopus).

Prof. Andrea Sartore-Bianchi has received financial support/sponsorship for research support, consultation, or speaker fees from the following companies:

Amgen, Bayer, Sanofi and Servier Pharmaceuticals. 

Dr Gerald Prager is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Board Certified for Internal Medicine Board and Certified for Haematology and Medical Oncology. In 2009, he received his M.D. from the University of Vienna. Currently, Dr Prager is Director of the Colorectal Cancer Unit of the Department of Medical Oncology at the Medical University of Vienna. He is also a member of the ESMO 2014 Scientific Committee. The research interest of his lab focuses on (tumour-) angiogenesis via regulation of endothelial cell survival and migration by cell / extracellular-matrix interaction. Through his clinical training in haemato-oncology, he became a member of the sought-after group of medical researches. He achieved his expertise in international renowned labs at University of California, San Diego, the Norris Cancer Center, Los Angeles and the Department of Vascular Biology, Mississippi University for Women (MUW). His work is honoured by 19 international awards and resulted in publications in international highly renowned journals. Dr Prager’s young research group is embedded in an international cancer research campus associated with Medical University of Vienna (MUV).

Assoc. Prof. Gerald Prager has received financial support/sponsorship for research support, consultation, or speaker fees from the following companies:

Amgen, Arcus, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BMS, CECOG, Incyte, Lilly, MSD, Merck Serono, Pierre Fabre, Roche, Servier, Takeda

 

 

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This educational programme is supported by an Independent Educational Grant from Bayer
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This educational programme is supported by an Independent Educational Grant from Bayer
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PRECISION ONCOLOGY CONNECT

PRECISION ONCOLOGY CONNECT is an initiative of COR2ED, supported by Independent Educational Grants from AstraZeneca, Amoy Diagnostics, Bayer, Pierre Fabre Laboratories and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

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