Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Genetic Test Identifies Certain High Risk Cancer Patients

German researchers report that a genetic test seems to be able to identify stage II colon cancer patients who have a higher risk of recurrence.

According to cancer experts, "this would be a huge help to doctors in determining which patients need follow-up treatment after initial surgery and which do not, and it would be an improvement on existing ways to predict recurrence."

80% of stage II colon cancer patients are cured with surgery. The new test aids in decision-making on chemotherapy and radiation.

Dr. Robert Rosenberg at University Hospital, Technical University, Munich, said that those patients identified as high risk by the test were over four times as likely to develop a distant metastasis.


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