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December 2, 2008 11:10:46 AM CST

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Researchers Find New Breast Cancer Marker

Posted Dec 17, 07 5:19 PM CST in Science & Health 

(Newser) – Tens of thousands of women may avoid unnecessary treatment for breast cancer in the future, thanks to the discovery of a means to predict which precancerous breast tumors will become cancerous, the Chicago Tribune reports. Researchers found molecular markers that can be used to identify—out of 50,000 women diagnosed with precancerous tumors annually—the 8-15% that will eventually become lethal.

The rest of the women, who would otherwise have be treated with surgery, radiation, and even chemotherapy, can be spared treatment. "At present, a lot of people are being treated for a cancer that's not going to happen, because we can't distinguish,"  said the head researcher. The same approach can be applied to other forms of cancer, such as colon, lung, and prostate.

Source Chicago Tribune

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In a study presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium one group reported they had discovered a molecular profile to distinguish potentially lethal cases of DCIS from ones that will never become...   (Shutterstock.com)
"This is a big step forward," said one molecular pathologist at the University of California-San Francisco. "Nobody's been able to do it before."   (Index Open)
San Francisco researchers have found a way to predict which patients with precancerous breast tumors are destined to develop cancer.   (Shutterstock.com)
Histopathologic image from ductal cell carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of breast.   (Wikimedia Commons)
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