The Belgian Cancer Foundation on Thursday highlighted a research project at the Jules Bordet Institute that aims to better understand the development of breast cancer metastases and why patients respond to treatment differently.
More than 11,700 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in Belgium each year. In 2024, 880 women already had metastatic cancer when they were diagnosed, while many others developed metastases months or even years after their initial treatment.
The project, led by Professor of Medical Oncology Christos Sotiriou, was presented as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, known as Pink October.
“At present, two people who appear to have the same type of metastatic breast cancer can respond completely differently to the same treatment,” Professor Sotiriou said. “Our ambition is to understand why.”
Although metastatic breast cancer remains incurable, advances in treatment have significantly improved outcomes. According to the latest data from the Belgian Cancer Registry, the five-year net survival rate for women with stage IV breast cancer now stands at about 50%, compared with around 30% some 20 years ago.
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However, the course of the disease still varies greatly from one patient to another. The Cancer Foundation said it is supporting Professor Sotiriou’s project to identify the mechanisms behind these differences and, ultimately, help determine the most appropriate treatment for each patient from the outset.
The study uses spatial transcriptomics and artificial intelligence to analyse data from Aurora, an international research programme focused on metastatic breast cancer. The technology allows researchers to examine how cancer cells are organised and how they communicate with one another.
