More Than 40 Melanoma-specific Genes That Determine Aggressiveness Discovered
Friday, June 27, 2014 - 13:50
in Health & Medicine
Melanoma is one of the worst, most metastatic cancers known today. Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) have discovered more than 40 genes that predict the level of aggressiveness of melanoma and that distinguish it from other cancers with a poor prognosis. The discovery will help to identify unique aspects of melanoma that could contribute to determine the risk of developing metastasis in patients with this disease. It explains why a drug, also described by CNIO, is being used to selectively attack the melanoma tumor cells. What is the function of these genes? Strangely, the factors that are increased in melanoma share a common mechanism: the formation of vesicles called endosomes. read more