A team of researchers is collaborating with Windsor Regional Hospital oncologists on a pilot project to improve treatment outcomes for hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer patients, a group that represents a significant portion of breast cancer diagnoses.

The WE-Spark project will examine the effects of starting treatment with ribociclib, a medication that blocks proteins driving cell growth. While this drug is typically used when breast cancer has advanced or spread, this project, described by research associate and adjunct professor Bre-Anne Fifield as a “window of opportunity study,” will explore whether using it at the beginning — before surgery — can make patients more responsive to later treatments.

“This project focuses on a type of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer where, historically, patients have done quite well, and we have some really effective treatments. However, we know there’s a group that can eventually become resistant to these treatments, and there’s another group that is resistant from the beginning. We need to do better for those patients,” Dr. Fifield said.

“So, this study is looking at whether we can give patients this drug up front and if that would prevent resistance from occurring or help sensitize them to these other types of therapies we have available,” she added.

The joint project, led by Fifield and Lisa Porter from the University of Windsor, alongside co-investigators Rasna Gupta and Caroline Hamm from Windsor Regional Hospital, received funding through WE-Spark’s Igniting Discovery grant. This grant supports early-stage health research and education initiatives in the Windsor-Essex region.

“The WE-Spark grants program is instrumental in getting these types of projects off the ground,” Fifield said. “Doing these types of clinical trials is expensive, so having this seed money to start them and get that data is crucial for us to be able to take this to the next level.”

The pilot will involve a small group of patients — around five to 10 — currently receiving treatment at the Windsor Cancer Centre. Some patients will receive the drug while others won’t, allowing researchers to compare the outcomes.

Fifield explained that many breast cells contain hormones, including progesterone and estrogen. On those cells, there can be antenna-like receptors that the hormones bind to, sending signals that tell the cells to grow.

“With a patient who has those receptors, we can block them or stop them so the cell no longer gets the signal. But for patients who become resistant, the cells are smart — they find ways around the inhibitors,” she said. “This drug we’re using targets the proteins that control cell growth and division outside of those hormones.”

For patients participating in the study, post-surgery tumour tissue will be sent to the Porter lab at the University of Windsor along with blood samples. Researchers will analyze whether there are more immune cells in the tumour or if those cells have changed compared to patients who didn’t receive this treatment. This information will help researchers determine if the patient will be more sensitive to other types of therapy, Fifield said.

“If we see changes in the types of immune cells that are there, that would suggest we’ve primed the immune system. Then we can use things like immunotherapies to come in and attack the tumour and stop it, and get rid of it,” she noted.

While still in the early stages, Fifield said she is eager to get the project going, and if the pilot shows promising results, the next step would be to involve more patients and apply for additional funding to continue the study.

“Patients here in Windsor-Essex are the ones who are going to benefit from this pilot,” she said. “And if it’s successful and we can launch a larger study, it will continue benefiting our patients and our community, which I think is really exciting.”

Want to see how local research is making a difference? Dive into WE-Spark’s impactful work at www.wesparkhealth.com/projects.