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PTEN: Options for Cancer Treatment

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Cancer Treatment for People with Mutations

People with an inherited mutation who have been diagnosed with cancer may have different treatment options than people without a mutation. To learn more about standard of care treatment options for specific types of cancer, visit our section on Cancer Treatment by Cancer Type. 

If you have an inherited mutation, have been diagnosed with cancer and the situations below apply to you, you may wish to speak to your doctor about your medical options.

Regardless of cancer type, people with a mutation may benefit from testing and may qualify for clinical trials looking for more effective treatments for cancer.

Surgical decisions for a breast cancer diagnosis

Because of the increased risk for a second breast cancer diagnosis, women who are diagnosed with breast cancer who test positive for an in may choose  mastectomy rather than and radiation. Mutation carriers who undergo mastectomy are less likely to develop a second breast cancer. 

The Truqap (capivasertib) is a type of drug known as an AKT inhibitor. AKT inhibitors may be effective for treating cancer in some people with mutations based on results of tumor testing.

or advanced breast cancer

Truqap combined with fulvestrant is approved to treat , advanced or breast cancer with a , PIK3 or AKT1 alteration, which recurred or got worse after standard hormone therapy. 

prostate cancer that is hormone sensistive or has not yet been treated with hormone therapy

Truqap in combination with and prednisone is approved to treat castration-sensitive cancer (mCSPC) or prostate cancer which has not yet been treated with hormone therapy.

Other types of advanced or cancers

Although not approved for other types of cancer, AKT inhibitors are being studied in other types of cancer, including advanced . If you have advanced cancer for which there is no approved treatment yet, you may want to speak with their doctor about testing your tumor for loss, and whether treatment with an AKT inhibitor "off-label" or as part of a clinical trial may be an option.  

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Last updated September 19, 2026