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Sarcoma

Our Impact

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) 

“Our lab is extremely grateful for the support provided by Cycle for Survival. We take pride in our sense of urgency in producing translational research that will benefit patients as soon as possible. This funding has been critical in
allowing us to pursue our goals.”
Ronald DeMatteo, MD, FACS
Vice Chair, Department of Surgery; Head, Division of General Surgical Oncology
Alan L. Ho, MD, PhD

Problem

A treatment to cure GIST is desperately needed. The most commonly used, current medicine does not kill every cancer cell, so the tumors recur despite continued therapy.

Number of new GIST diagnoses
in the U.S. each year:

Estimated at 3,300 - 6,000 (source: National Cancer Institute)

Ideas

Dr. Ron DeMatteo’s lab is working on a three-pronged strategy: first, to find drugs that are better at stopping the cancer’s driving mutation; second, to use the patient’s own immune system to fight GIST; and finally, to combine both new drugs and immunotherapy to hit GIST in two powerful ways.

What's next

Based on key learnings from initial research, Dr. DeMatteo will investigate how to manipulate the body’s macrophages to block cancer. A macrophage is a type of cell in organs and tissues that defends against pathogens. In people with cancer, macrophages can be disrupted and actually help the tumor grow and metastasize. Dr. DeMatteo will combine this breakthrough research with new drug therapies.

You should know:

  • This initiative, which was funded by Cycle for Survival in 2013, has helped launch a clinical trial and seed discoveries that lay the foundation for another new trial in development.
  • One of the most striking findings is a drug that hinders the cancer-promoting protein in GIST. PLX3397 is more powerful and effective at destroying tumors than the treatment most commonly used today.
  • While studying tumor tissue samples to pinpoint how the immune system can be induced to stop cancer cells, Dr. DeMatteo’s team discovered that tumor-associated macrophages have a unique behavior in GIST; their response to therapy causes them to fight and promote tumor growth in an unusual way. That discovery will inform future research.

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