Precise & Effective Cancer Treatment Can Be Done Using A Genetic Scoring System

For decades, researchers for cancer have been trying to find better way to predict the best cancer treatment for a specific patient. The practice is more likely a trial-and-error of different cocktails of drugs, radiotherapy and chemotherapy to find the most suitable and effective combination of treatment.

Aside from the fact that cancer treatment is so much expensive, the health side effects of the treatment especially on the severe stages of cancer is very alarming.  Recently, Scientists from Berkeley discovered 14 genes that could help predict cancer treatment response of patients.

As reported by Fierce Biotech, the research published at the journal Nature Communications revealed the correlation between 14 genes found in cancer patients to the treatment response of cancer cells. These 14 genes are evident and overexpressed across different types of cancer.

Using that information they developed a genetic scoring system termed as Centromere and kinetochore gene Expression Score or CES signature. High CES values denotes increased genomic instability and more adverse cancer cells properties.

"The history of cancer treatment is filled with overreaction, it is part of the ethics of cancer treatment to err on the side of overtreatment, but these treatments have serious side effects associated with them.

For some people, it may be causing more trouble than if the growth was left untreated.", lead researcher Gary Karpen said. The research will be further verified by conducting more tests and experiments to establish more the link and to provide a more precise scoring system based on these gene factors, as mentioned by Nature Communications.

The Berkeley research team hopes that the development of CES signature will help contribute to "precision medicine" by having a guided path on the outcomes of a specific cancer treatment even before the actual therapy.

The researchers also suggested a cancer treatment strategy that involves specifically attacking cancers cells with chromosomal aberrations which is highly linked in tumor expressions.