Genes may Predict Severity of Cancer
September 20th, 2007 Posted by: Dr. Cox
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — The activity of just a few genes could hold the key to predicting the fate of multiple myeloma patients.
Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer affecting the blood plasma cells in bone marrow responsible for producing antibodies. Each year, nearly 14,600 Americans are diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The severity ranges from low-risk to high-risk and makes all the difference in patients’ odds of survival.
Recent research reveals the activity of a specific subset of genes may accurately predict whether a patient suffering from multiple myeloma falls into the high-risk category.
Researchers collected data from 532 multiple myeloma patients for seven years after they underwent blood stem cell transplants. A genetic profile was created for each patient to determine the severity of the disease.
Researchers found a certain group of genes, as few as 17 individual genes, were useful in predicting whether a patient’s prognosis would be high-risk or low-risk. The difference between high and low risk is substantial. “At 24 months, about 90 percent of low-risk patients will be alive, whereas about 50 percent of high-risk patients have succumbed to the disease,” Fenghuang Zhan M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Arkansas for Medical Science was quoted saying.
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SOURCE: The American Association for Cancer Research’s second International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development, in Atlanta, Sept. 17-20, 2007