Common Gene Abnormalities Found in Many Types of Cancers
Multi-marker pathology cancer tests likely to be developed from this research
Pathologists and other clinical laboratory scientists can expect to see a number of multi-biomarker genetic tests for cancer as a result of research that is identifying specific gene abnormalities that are common to certain cancers and promote the growth of these cancers. Variations in these mutations make a difference in the effectiveness of certain treatments.
With the aid of recent advances in genomic mapping technology, an international team led by researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute have found that many of these aberrations in the genetic code are shared by a variety of cancers occurring in many different types of tissues. The study appears in the February 18 issue of Nature.