- Metastasis, the process of the spread of cancer cells to a distant site from the tissue of origin, is the primary cause of cancer-related mortality.
- A recent study classified metastasized tumors with varying sites of origin into four subtypes based on differences in their gene expression profiles.
- Based on these molecular profiles, the researchers were also able to identify therapeutics that could potentially target each individual metastatic tumor subtype.
- These findings suggest that personalized treatments could be developed for metastatic cancer based on the gene expression profile of the tumor.
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These findings suggest that a single treatment may not be suitable for all metastasized cancers and individualized treatments, developed in accordance with the gene expression profile of the tumor, could be more effective.
“Our study would have implications for targeted therapy, as different subtypes appear to rely on distinct oncogenes or pathways,” said Dr. Chad Creighton, the corresponding author of the study and a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. “Therefore, some therapies may work better for some patients versus others, as indicated by the tumor’s subtype.”
“Where we had molecular data for both the metastasis and the initial tumor from the same patient, we found that in most cases, the metastasis subtype differed from that of the paired initial tumor,” he added. “Our results might suggest avenues for future personalized medicine approaches, to treat the tumor based on pathway vulnerability as revealed by its molecular profile. At the same time, combination therapies may be needed to treat both the initial tumor and any potential metastatic cells, thereby…
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