Gene Cluster Predicts Lung Cancer Outcome

Researchers have found a cluster of genes that serves as a genetic fingerprint that can indicate which lung cancer patients have a high likelihood of failing standard treatment and which will have a better prognosis. The findings were reported in the May 2002 issue of Cancer Research.

Generally, about 50-60% of lung cancer patients treated by surgery will have their cancer recur. The researchers, from Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI) at Princess Margaret Hospital (Toronto, Canada), examined more than 19,000 genes in a group of lung cancer patients and narrowed these down to 3,000 genes that seemed likely to be important. Using microarrays and the latest computer software, they further narrowed the search to a cluster of only 22 genes. These were found to be expressed differently in patients whose lung cancer reappeared after treatment than in those whose cancer did not recur within two years.

Thus, the discovery is not based on a single abnormality in any particular gene but, rather, the recognition that it is the pattern of many interconnected genes that seems to be controlled differently in lung cancer. The researchers hope to further refine the fingerprint and produce a lung-cancer specific microarray that could be tested in clinical trials.

"This genetic fingerprint is actually a pattern of genes in the lung tumor that correlated with dramatically different chances of cancer relapse,” said Dr. Ming Tsao, leader of the study and a pathologist at the hospital. "In the future, this may allow us to be much more precise in assessing risk and determining whether to be more aggressive in our treatment for some patients.”




Related Links:
Ontario Cancer Institute