Protein that drives survival of gastrointestinal tumors identified

(PhysOrg.com) -- For patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors, or GISTs, the blockbuster cancer drug Gleevec has been a reason to hope. Since the drug’s introduction, survival rates have climbed dramatically and recurrence has fallen by two-thirds. But there’s a downside: over time, many patients develop resistance to the drug. Now, scientists at Rockefeller University and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have identified a molecule that acts as a survival factor for gastrointestinal tumors, a finding that may lead to next-generation therapies that can pick up where Gleevec leaves off.

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