Article
Genetic Make-up, Not Tissue of Origin, Should Dictate Cancer Treatment: New Study
The research, published in the journal Cell, proposes revising treatment based on the molecular constitution of the tumor when it presents itself, rather than the tissue or organ of origin.
Classifying cancer tumors by their molecular structure rather than the tissue or organ where they were found, such as the breast or bladder, may lead to more accurate diagnoses and potentially better treatments and outcomes for patients, a new study finds.
In the largest undertaking to analyze and compare different cancer types based on genomic sequencing, researchers found at least 10 percent of tumors - and possibly as high as 30 to 50 percent - would be identified differently if oncologists determined their diagnoses by a tumor's molecular makeup.
"The old system classifying cancer by the tissue of where it arose is outdated. It's been in existence for over 100 years now, and we know it doesn't merit the true nature of the cancer," said Dr. Christopher Benz, a professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato and co-senior author of the study.
Read the report here: http://bit.ly/1q0lYNb
Source: SFGate
