Summary
Research develops hypoxic gene expression signatures to predict which muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients will respond to hypoxia-modifying therapies.
Researchers have found a new way to predict which early-stage lung cancer patients are more likely to have their cancer come back after receiving precise radiation therapy called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). This discovery could help doctors provide better treatment plans.
The prediction method looks at RNA biomarkers that measure tumor hypoxia, which means areas in tumors that don’t get enough oxygen. Cancer cells in low-oxygen areas are harder to kill with radiation, making them more likely to survive treatment and cause cancer to return.
SBRT is a targeted radiation treatment used for small, localized tumors. While it works well for many patients, about 20-30% of people treated with SBRT experience cancer recurrence either in the same spot or in other parts of their body.
By analyzing these biomarkers before treatment, doctors found that patients with high hypoxia scores were much more likely to have cancer return. This information helps identify patients who might need additional or different treatments beyond just radiation therapy.
For patients, this biomarker test could mean more personalized treatment plans. Those at higher risk for recurrence might receive combination therapies or closer monitoring, while others could continue with standard SBRT treatment.
This research represents an important step toward precision medicine in radiation therapy. Instead of giving everyone the same treatment, doctors could tailor approaches based on each patient’s specific cancer characteristics and recurrence risk.
The biomarker discovery offers hope for improving outcomes for early-stage lung cancer patients by helping doctors choose the most effective treatment strategy for each individual case.
