A group of researchers led by Houston Methodist have found clues to treatment resistance in metastatic breast cancer. Details of the study are reported in a press release.

The scientists reviewed 47 patients and 109 pretreatment metastatic lesions that were treated with trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd). They discovered how S100–RAGE signaling can be a barrier to treatment response. The pathway helps cancer cells thrive, adapt, and become resistant to treatment.

This discovery explains why certain patients don’t respond to early-stage therapy. The researchers think S100–RAGE signaling can be targeted, but more studies are needed.