Results from ProTarget presented at the ESMO-MAP conference in Paris

The ProTarget study participated at the ESMO-MAP conference the 15–16 September in Paris with two scientific posters including data from the BRAF and HER2 cohorts in the trial:

• #164P. ProTarget Study: Investigating BRAF-Targeted Therapies in Cancers Beyond Melanoma and Colorectal Cancer
• #162P. ProTarget Study: Exploring new opportunities for ERBB2 (HER2) targeted therapies beyond conventional cancer types

BRAF-targeted therapy improves treatment outcomes in patients with BRAF-mutated melanoma and is therefore part of standard treatment lines for these patients. The BRAF cohort in ProTarget, however, investigates the treatment efficacy in patients with BRAF-mutated cancer across tumor types beyond the EMA-approved label. Findings are promising and provide valuable knowledge on treatment activity and tolerability which will help refine future therapeutic strategies.

The HER2 cohort explores how HER2-directed therapies, proven effective in e.g. breast and gastric cancers, might offer benefits in a broader range of tumor types in patients who do not currently have access to these drugs. Results from this cohort highlight differences in efficacy-levels among the tested drugs and emphasize the importance of molecular profiling to identify patients most likely to respond to HER2-targeted treatment.

“It was a privilege to share our findings with the international oncology community at ESMO-MAP. The conference provided a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and discuss how targeted treatments can benefit patients with rare genomic alterations,” says Laila Belcaid, MD, PhD, who presented the posters.

“ProTarget is about pushing the boundaries of precision oncology. By exploring targeted therapies in cancer types where they are not yet approved, we hope to identify new treatment opportunities that can directly impact patients’ lives,” adds Ulrik Lassen, MD, PhD, Professor, study principal investigator of the ProTarget trial.

With over 165 active cohorts and participation from all major oncology centers in Denmark, ProTarget (NCT04341181) is a nationwide, investigator-initiated phase II basket trial. The study leverages comprehensive molecular tumor profiling and close collaboration with the Danish National Molecular Tumor Board to match patients with targeted therapies based on their tumor’s genetic alterations.

The presentations at ESMO-MAP highlight the growing role of ProTarget in the international precision oncology landscape and underline our mission: to explore new treatment avenues that can make a difference for patients with rare or difficult-to-treat cancers.