"New Way To Determine Whether Metastatic Cancer Cells In Breast Cancer Patients Are Dormant Or Soon To Be Deadly"
For the first time ever, Mount Sinai researchers have identified a protein as a marker that can indicate whether a cancer patient will develop a recurrence of lethal, metastatic cancer, according to a clinical study published in Breast Cancer Research. "This research shows that the survival advantage in these patients is due to high levels of this protein. Tests using this protein marker could further improve curative treatment of breast cancer, sparing patients from unnecessary treatments," said lead researcher Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, PhD, director of solid tumor and metastasis research, professor of oncological sciences, otolaryngology, medicine, hematology and medical oncology at the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Improved techniques to assess the population of patients with residual disease and their dormant or reactivating state will be key to identifying the risk of future metastasis despite undergoing standard treatment. This opens the way for testing new treatments that prevent metastasis by inducing dormancy or eradicating the dormant disseminated cancer cells that have not yet initiated metastatic growth."
- Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, PhD, Director, Solid Tumor and Metastasis Research, Head and Neck Cancer Basic Research, Professor, Oncological Sciences, Otolaryngology, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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