Dr. Glinsky's presentation is scheduled from 2:55 to 3:10 p.m. Sunday, April 17, and the press conference, "Predicting Risk, Treatment and Outcome Based on Genetic Variables," is scheduled from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, April 19.
The methods and conclusions of the research are described in the abstract "A Death from Cancer Signature: Microarray Analysis Identifies the 11-gene BMI-1-Pathway Predicting Therapy Failure and Short Survival of Patients Diagnosed with Multiple Types of Cancer."
A research team led by Dr. Glinsky found that the 11-gene signature expression in tumor cells is a consistent, powerful predictor of therapy outcome. Its presence indicates a short interval to disease recurrence, distant metastasis, and death after therapy in cancer patients diagnosed with 10 distinct types of cancer, including prostate, breast, lung, ovarian, bladder, lymphoma and acute myeloid leukemia.
Applying comparative translational genomics, the researchers selected for analysis the 11-gene BMI-1-pathway signature, which is associated with the self-renewal of normal stem cells. What they discovered is that when this pathway is activated in transformed (cancerous) cells, it may contribute to the survival life cycle of cancer stem cells and promotes tumor progression and metastasis.
Thus, when this signature expression is found in tumors, there is a high probability of unfavorable therapy outcome, the researchers concluded. However, if this signature expression is not found in tumor cells, there is a high probability of favorable therapy outcome.
SKCC is in the process of setting
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Contact: Jay Jeffcoat
jjeffcoat@skccfoundation.org
858-410-4212
Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center
18-Apr-2005