Cancer Biomarkers Could Help Guide Treatment

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"It is difficult to assess the response of cancer in the brain or lung to treatment, since those neoplasms [tumors] are difficult to access safely. With the proper biomarkers, physicians may be able to tell if a patient is not responding to therapy and alter their treatment strategy accordingly," Dr. Roberto Diaz, a radiation oncology resident at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, said in a prepared statement.

"This study provides us with a starting point for understanding how tumors physiologically respond to therapy and a noninvasive technique for monitoring that response," Diaz said.

In another study, scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute found that 164 genes are involved in regulating the vulnerability of squamous cell head and neck cancer cells to the drug lapatinib.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute explains tumor markers.