XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
 Latest Research
 Cancer
  Breast
  Skin
  Blood
  Prostate
  Liver
  Colon
  Thyroid
  Endometrial
  Brain
  Therapy
  Risk Factors
  Esophageal
  Bladder
  Lung
   Small Cell Carcinoma
  Rectal Cancer
  Pancreatic Cancer
  Bone Cancer
  Cervical Cancer
  Testicular Cancer
  Gastric Cancer
  Ovarian Cancer
  Nerve Tissue
  Renal Cell Carcinoma
 Psychiatry
 Genetics
 Surgery
 Aging
 Ophthalmology
 Gynaecology
 Neurosciences
 Pharmacology
 Cardiology
 Obstetrics
 Infectious Diseases
 Respiratory Medicine
 Pathology
 Endocrinology
 Immunology
 Nephrology
 Gastroenterology
 Biotechnology
 Radiology
 Dermatology
 Microbiology
 Haematology
 Dental
 ENT
 Environment
 Embryology
 Orthopedics
 Metabolism
 Anaethesia
 Paediatrics
 Public Health
 Urology
 Musculoskeletal
 Clinical Trials
 Physiology
 Biochemistry
 Cytology
 Traumatology
 Rheumatology
 
 Medical News
 Health
 Opinion
 Healthcare
 Professionals
 Launch
 Awards & Prizes
 
 Careers
 Medical
 Nursing
 Dental
 
 Special Topics
 Euthanasia
 Ethics
 Evolution
 Odd Medical News
 Feature
 
 World News
 Tsunami
 Epidemics
 Climate
 Business
 
 India
Search

Last Updated: Nov 18, 2006 - 12:32:53 PM

Lung Channel
subscribe to Lung newsletter

Latest Research : Cancer : Lung

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Gene Expression Profiling Not Quite Perfected in Predicting Lung Cancer Prognosis
Nov 17, 2006 - 1:31:00 PM, Reviewed by: Dr. Priya Saxena

"Any new technique that does not significantly outperform less expensive and easily conducted approaches is less likely to be useful in clinical practice"

 
While there have been significant advances in the use of gene expression profiling to assess a cancer prognosis, a Mayo Clinic review and analysis of existing lung cancer studies shows that this technology has not yet surpassed the accuracy of conventional methods used to assess survival in lung cancer patients.

The interest in and the knowledge of gene expression profiling in medical science has exploded since the completion of the human genome project in 2003. Researchers caution that the science of gene expression profiling, in which scientists examine the genetic signature of a cell, is in its infancy, particularly in lung cancer.

"Growing evidence suggests that gene-based prediction is not stable and little is known about the prediction power of a gene expression profile as compared to well-known clinical and pathologic predictors," according to Ping Yang, M.D., Ph.D., the corresponding author of the study that appears in the November issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention (CEBP). The study's first author is Zhifu Sun, M.D., a research associate with the Department of Health Sciences Research at Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Yang, a researcher with Mayo Clinic's Department of Health Sciences, said that while gene expression profiling has been successfully used to classify various tumors and assess tumor stage, metastasis and patient survival rates, the evidence suggests that gene-based prediction for lung cancer is not yet entirely dependable. However, some results have been promising: gene profiling has reliably predicted patient survival for lung adenocarcinoma almost as well as established predictors.

The results of conventional methods that factor in age, gender, stage, cell type and tumor grade outweigh the predictive advantage of a gene expression profile. "Any new technique that does not significantly outperform less expensive and easily conducted approaches is less likely to be useful in clinical practice," the authors wrote.

Few studies have compared conventional methods of lung cancer prediction with gene profiling. It remains to be seen whether gene expression profiling of lung cancer cases can replace or augment the existing assessment tools and, furthermore, whether it can lead to improved patient care.

In terms of problems associated with gene expression profiling in lung cancer research, the authors found:

* The accuracy of gene expression-based outcome prediction varies greatly among studies.
* Most studies lacked independent validation.
* Clinical outcome prediction between gene expression profiles and pathological features overlap significantly.
* Current analytical algorithms favor genes at high expression or genes highly differentially expressed, most of which are related to tumor differentiation and may not correlate with clinical outcomes; conversely, genes expressed at low levels or in a subtle difference are often overlooked, which may be quite relevant biologically to clinical questions.

The authors of the study recommend that medical scientists engaged in gene expression profiling should:

* Clearly define a study aim. The main focus in microarray studies should explore the molecular explanations for varied clinical outcomes given a group of patients with similar clinical and pathological characteristics.
* Lay out and compare alternative study designs
* Carefully select samples in terms of size, quality and unambiguous clinical outcomes
* Understand the limitations of DNA microarray
* Provide clinically relevant interpretation from the study results and address the value added in practice
 

- November issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention (CEBP)
 

www.mayoclinic.org

 
Subscribe to Lung Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute and Mayo Clinic.

Related Lung News

Gene Expression Profiling Not Quite Perfected in Predicting Lung Cancer Prognosis
I-ELCAP study: Lung cancer can be detected early with annual low-dose CT screening
Key to lung cancer chemotherapy resistance revealed
3D-CRT brings hope for inoperable lung cancers
Sunitinib Malate shows promise against advanced form of lung cancer
Tarceva-Celebrex Combination therapy shows promising results in advanced lung cancer
Lung cancer susceptibility runs in families - Study
Do Variants in the GST Detoxification Genes Affect the Risk of Lung Cancer?
Tumor diameter - an important prognostic indicator for curability
Palliative radiation can cure some NSCLC


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us