Future breast cancer treatment could be aided by the
discovery of new biomarkers which can predict when a tumour will be resistant
to chemotherapy.
A report from scientists at the University of Hull identified a family of 38
proteins which are twice as prevalent in samples taken from resistant tumour
compared to those which were successfully treated.
According to lead researcher Dr Lynn Cawkwell, one of the major goals of cancer
research is to find a reliable test for chemotherapy resistance.
"We hope that by testing for these proteins, doctors will be able to
anticipate a patient's response to different chemotherapies and decide which
course of treatment is most appropriate," she said.
Dr Cawkwell and her team plan to continue the work as well as look at the
possibility of investigating radiotherapy resistance in the same way.
Cancer Research UK states that breast cancer is the most common form of the
disease in the country, with 48,000 new cases in 2008.
© Adfero Ltd
Cancer treatment news : 16 April 2012
