Researchers from the University of Leeds and the University of Oxford have identified a potential biomarker to predict whether or not radiation treatment will be successful in patients being treated for bladder cancer.
The biomarker is a DNA repair protein known as MRE11. The researchers looked for the amount of this protein in the tumor tissue of 86 bladder cancer patients prior to undergoing radiotherapy.
According to their results, many of the patients that had high amounts of MRE11 survived longer following radiotherapy compared to those patients with lower amounts of the protein.
Currently, bladder cancer is treated with either radiation or surgery, both with similar survival profiles, leaving the decision of treatment up to patient preference and doctor expertise.
CANCER TYPE(S)
Bladder cancer. According to SEER statistics from the National Cancer Institute, over 70,000 new cases of bladder cancer will be diagnosed in the US in 2010 and almost 15,000 will die from the disease.
TREATMENT TYPE(S)
Radiotherapy
WHERE WAS THIS STUDY PUBLISHED?
Cancer Research
Source
Cancer Research UK
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