COLUMBUS – A new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC–James) has found molecular patterns in some small-cell lung cancer patients that are resistant to existing treatments.

The study could lead to the development of new treatments for those patients, a news release from OSUCCC–James said.

“Understanding the specific drivers of a person’s cancer can help us identify potential alternative treatment options through clinical trials that would not have been possible otherwise,” said lead researcher Dr. Sameek Roychowdhury. “Our findings suggest that the causes of treatment resistances in advanced SCLC may be subtype-specific. They also highlight the importance of tumor genomic studies to identify the most effective therapies for these patients and to support development of new therapies for this often-fatal disease.”

The study examined more than 60 tumors from five patients who died from small-cell lung cancer. The patients agreed to have post-mortem research autopsies for the study. Tissues was removed within 16 hours of the death of the patients, “minimizing the molecular changes that occur in cells after death,” the news release said.

“The researchers used sequencing technologies to identify genetic and molecular changes in four SCLC tumor subtypes,” the release said. “Many of the changes are associated with resistance to immune therapy and other treatments.”

The results still need to be validated by larger studies, Roychowdhury said.

 “But they suggest that subtyping SCLC patients before systemic therapy could someday play a role in drug development and therapy selection,” he said.

The most subtypes showed high levels of the enzyme ARG2, which could possibly suppress immune responses, the release said.

The study was published in the journal JTO Clinical and Research Reports. The research was funded with grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the American Lung Association and Pelotonia.

Up to 15% of lung cancer cases worldwide are small-cell lung cancer, the release stated.

The study found that rapid-research autopsies are effective in providing insights into lung cancers that are resistant to treatment.

“(The study also found) evidence that tumors have continued to evolve after patients receive treatment,” the release said. “Even a single patient may have six to eight genetically distinct subtypes of their cancer ­­— which could have implications for future drug development.”