Home Department: undeclared
Mentor: Melanie Hayden Gephart (Neurosurgery)

“Understanding the Impact of Primary Breast Cancer Hormone Receptor Status on Leptomeningeal Metastasis Development”

Development of metastases to the central nervous system (CNS) following the diagnosis of advanced breast cancer is an increasing clinical issue. Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) is the most aggressive type of CNS metastasis and is rapidly fatal due to poor detection capability and limited therapeutic options. The relationship between the hormone receptor status of primary breast cancer and the propensity to LM is not understood. This project seeks to understand the metastatic pathway and possible predictors of LM development to improve patient prognosis and identify potential therapeutic targets. This is accomplished through retrospective patient chart review and single cell RNA sequencing.