Novel methods for treating cancer include: measuring the expression level of a gene; administering a glucocorticoid receptor modulator (GRM) to a patient; again measuring the expression level of a gene; identifying a patient in whom the expression level of the gene is decreased following GRM administration (compared to the baseline gene expression level) as likely to benefit from treatment by combined cancer chemotherapy plus GRM administration; and administering to the identified patient a combination of the GRM and cancer chemotherapy, whereby the cancer is treated in the patient.
The GRM may be selected from relacorilant, CORT125281, CORT122928, and CORT113176. The cancer chemotherapy agent may be a taxane. The genes whose expression level is measured may be selected from COX2, DUSP1, GSK3b, MCL-1, PIK3CG, RGS-2, SGK1, and STAT3, and may be selected from FCGRT, C5, MAP3K7, TP53, BBC3, THBD, PRR5, RICTOR, and EIF2B4.