Early-stage melanoma tumors contain clues to metastatic potential
Thursday, July 14, 2011 - 14:30
in Health & Medicine
Scientists have demonstrated that it's possible -- early in a tumor's growth -- to identify cancer genes that endow the tumor with the ability to metastasize. Testing the technique in melanoma skin cancer, they found six abnormal genes that are both cancer-causing and metastasis-promoting. One of those genes, ACP5, can be used to predict whether human melanoma tumors are likely to spread.