Male breast cancer diagnosis fuels groundbreaking treatment tool

Breast cancer rates for men are much lower than women, the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that in 2023, about 2,800 men in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 530 men will die from the disease. Many are diagnosed when the disease has progressed to later stages because it is so rare. Most patients who have metastatic cancer receive palliative care, which does not attempt to cure the disease, but instead focuses on providing relief from the symptoms.

Doctors diagnosed Christopher Gregg, Ph.D., member of the Nuclear Control of Cell Growth and Differentiation Program at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) and neuroscientist and professor of neurobiology and human genetics at the U, with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in 2018. At that point, he started thinking of ways to improve his treatment.

“The core problem of metastatic cancer is it evolves,” says Gregg. “There may be a treatment that works today but eventually the disease will become resistant over time.” He sought to solve this with a groundbreaking approach called extinction therapy.

Working around the clock, Gregg’s team used data from his own breast cancer treatment to create a prototype. They created an algorithm that uses artificial intelligence to accurately measure patient symptoms detected from vocal and behavioral information captured via smartphone. This allowed them to precisely measure how a patient is doing during their treatments. Based on their symptoms, the algorithm predicts changes to future symptoms. Oncologists will then be able to adjust treatments to help avoid drug toxicity and dangerous side effects, ultimately designing the best plan for each patient.

Gregg identified ways to help with metastatic cancer. After finding a promising study, he asked the researchers to come to a symposium at Huntsman Cancer Institute. There, they all worked together to come up with Gregg’s first treatment plan, extinction therapy.

Reference: Male breast cancer diagnosis fuels groundbreaking treatment tool; HUNTSMAN CANCER INSTITUTE