AnteNOR

The AnteNOR project explores how to improve prevention and early detection of breast cancer in Norway. The project focuses on polygenic risk-score tests, a new type of technology that can provide a measure of someone’s personal risk to develop a disease.

It is possible to identify a person’s individual risk levels for common cancers with personalised screening, as many cancer risks arise from one’s genetic disposition. Breast cancer is a relevant cancer area, as the national screening programme starts to invite women for mammographies when they turn 50, although many women develop cancer before this age.

The project aims to create models for new screening programmes, where genetics-based screening can be included. It also investigates how these new approaches can be implemented in the clinic and national health service.

Project main progress

July – December 2021

• AnteNOR project kick-off
• Green ICT project was mentioned in Delfi Ärileht article
• Mapped and interviewed Norwegian key stakeholders in the field of breast cancer and breast cancer mammography screening
• Applied and received the ethical commitee approval for genetic analysis study
• Analysis of Norwegian genetic data started
• Antegenes became a member of Oslo Cancer Cluster
• Presentation about Antegenes and AnteNOR project at Oslo Cancer Cluster virtual annual meeting on 15th of December

January – June 2022

• Started cooperation with Oecona AS
• Participated in EXPO 2020 Dubai for international scientific cooperations
• Green ICT project was mentioned in e-Estonia blog article.
• Development of the cost-benefit simulation study for Norwegian medical setting
• AnteNOR seminar was organized in Oslo by Oslo Cancer Cluster and Antegenes
• AnteNOR project clinical pilot study protocol created and ready
• Application for conducting the AnteNOR clinical pilot is submitted to Regional Ethical Commitee

July – December 2022

• Approval of the Ethics Committee to implement study in Oslo University Hospital and Vestre Viken Hospital was obtained.
• Clinical study was registered in the ClinialTrials.gov database.
• Clinical study logistics pathways were developed, study assistant was involved by Vestre Viken Hospital.
• Retrospective performance assessment of Antegenes PRS in Norwegian data has been conducted. Initial results have been compiled and presented as a poster at the Nordic Society of Human Genetics and Precision Medicine 2022 conference “Precision Medicine Research And Implementation: Rebooting In The Nordics Post-Covid” (3-4 November 2022, Copenhagen, Denmark) (Akdeniz et al. “Implementation of polygenic risk score guided breast cancer prediction in Norwegian data”).
• Oecona developed the cost-utility preliminary model for Norwegian medical setting. Collaboration with health economists of Sweden was launched.
• Norway specific health technology assessment and implementation options specific to Norwegian healthcare were developed.
• The article “Preventing breast cancer in Norway” was written and published on Oslo Cancer Cluster website.

January – June 2023

• A cost-benefit study assessing a AnteBC based breast cancer screening routine in comparison with alternatives is completed.
• Information from external and internal sources for health technology assessment was collected and developed.
• The clinical pilot was launched in February at Oslo University Hospital and Vestre Viken Hospital.
• AnteBC polygenic risk model is recalibrated for use in the Norwegian population. The manuscript is under submission.
• Genetics guided breast cancer screening program policy document draft has been developed and introduced to partners and external experts in Norway and the UK.
• Three articles were written and published on the Oslo Cancer Cluster website:

1. On 23 February: the clinical study launch.
2. On 30 May: Antegenes support to the recent guidance from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.
3. On 27 June: the AnteNOR project results were presented at the meeting organized by the Norwegian Cancer Mission Hub.

July – December 2023

The health technology assessment report to support the development of a reimbursement application in Norway has been finalized and the dossier developed.

• The clinical pilot at Oslo University Hospital and Vestre Viken Hospital was carried out.
• Data from the clinical pilot was analyzed and preliminary results were presented at the AnteNOR results presentation seminar on 6 of November in Oslo.
• A comparison of polygenic risk scores’ performance to current breast cancer risk assessment methods is completed.
• The development of genetics guided breast cancer screening program policy document was continued.
• The manuscript titled „A Breast Cancer Polygenic Risk Score is feasible for risk-stratification in the Norwegian population“ was published in the journal MDPI Cancer. Read more in the journal MDPI Cancer.
• On 12 October the article “Implementation of Risk-Stratified Breast Cancer Prevention With a PRS test in Clinical Practice” was published in SAGE Journals. Read more in the SAGE journal.
• Peeter Padrik participated in the European Hereditary Tumour Group Annual Meeting in Vilnius, where he gave a presentation on the topic “Clinical Applications of Breast Cancer Polygenic Risk Score Testing in Women”.
• Two articles were written and published on the Oslo Cancer Cluster website:

1. On 6 September: the Norwegian clinical and genetic data analyses.
2. On 10 November: the AnteNOR results presentation seminar.

January – April 2024

• Denise O’Mahony gave an oral presentation titled „Polygenic Risk Scores in Sporiadic Breast Cancer Cases in Norway“ at the Norwegian Bioscience Society meeting in Gol in January.
• Tone Hovda gave a presentation introducing the AnteNOR clinical pilot at the European Congress of Radiology in Vienna.
• Tone Hovda gave a presentation introducing the AnteNOR clinical pilot at the National Clinical Conference for Breast Cancer Diagnostics and Treatment in Drammen.
• Kristine Sahlberg gave a talk titled „Towards personalised breast cancer screening“ at a conference on Women’s Health at the University of South Eastern Norway.
• Kristine Sahlberg gave a presentation introducing the AnteNOR clinical pilot at the National Network for Breast Cancer Research in Stavanger.
• Krista Kruuv-Käo introduced the AnteNOR project and results at a seminar in Uppsala „BRIGHT Breast Cancer Precision Prevention – presenting results from Sweden, Estonia and Portugal“.
• AnteNOR team organised the final AnteNOR seminar in Oslo on the 30th of April titled „Results from the AnteNOR projects – Norway’s way towards precision prevention“.
• Two articles were published on the Oslo Cancer Cluster website:
  1. About the results of the clinical pilot.
  2. About the AnteNOR final seminar and how home testing improves cancer prevention.