Gene Change Signifies Better Response to Treatment
New research proves that a change in the MGMT gene can identify which patients with glioblastoma will respond better to treatment. Testing for this gene can distinguish patients with a more- or less-aggressive form of this disease – the most common and deadliest type of primary brain cancer – and help guide therapy.
Examining the MGMT gene in tumors removed from 833 patients with glioblastoma, the researchers found that when the gene promoter is altered by a chemical change called methylation, patients respond better to treatment.
“We show that MGMT methylation represents a new genetic test that can predict clinical outcomes in glioblastoma patients treated with radiation combined with the chemotherapeutic drug temozolomide,” says co-author Arnab Chakravarti, MD, chair of Radiation Oncology and co-director of the Brain Tumor Program at the OSUCCC – James.
“Glioblastomas are a collection of different molecular and genetic entities that behave uniquely and require personalized treatment,” adds Chakravarti, who is the translational-research study chair for the study.
The findings were presented in June at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting.
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