US scientists pinpoint cancer markers
Move could see the development of new ways to treat the disease
Scientists say they have found striking similarities between cancer tumours originating in different organs.
The researchers examined the molecular profiles of tumours from 12 different types of cancer.
Their discoveries could herald a day when cancers are treated based on their genetic profiles, rather than on their tissue of origin, said biomolecular engineer Josh Stuart of the University of California.
Eventually, such a shift in thinking could lead researchers to new treatments for hard-to-treat cancers, Stuart said.
If scientists can find molecular similarities, say, between a rare form of breast cancer and a form of ovarian cancer, they might be able to use a drug known to target the ovarian tumour to treat the unusual sub-type of breast cancer.
Stuart was involved in the project, which worked with the Cancer Genome Atlas backed by the US National Institutes of Health, and is co-author of a commentary issued on Thursday by the journal Nature Genetics.