From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-365711-813869
DALLAS (UPI) -- Seven biomarkers in blood tests may help doctors
predict if prostate cancer will recur or spread, U.S. researchers
said.
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in
Dallas have identified a panel of seven biomarkers -- proteins in the
blood specific to a disease -- for prostate cancer.
"We found that a combination of independent yet complementary markers
may provide a more accurate prediction outcome compared to single
markers," lead study author Dr. Shahrokh Shariat said in a statement.
"This could help physicians provide individualized care and targeted
therapy for patients. It will also allow us to design clinical trials
to target these individual biomarkers."
The study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, measured the levels
of seven biomarkers in 423 patients subsequently treated surgically.
Of the study participants, 75 had a recurrence of their cancer. All 75
had elevated levels of at least several of the seven biomarkers.
Shariat's seven-biomarker model was able to accurately predict the
risk for recurrence 86.6 percent of the time, the study said.