(Press-News.org) Parents of twins often tell them apart through subtle differences such as facial expression, moles, voice tone and gait. Similarly, physicians treating women with endometrial cancer must be able to distinguish between different versions of this disease form that, on the surface, appear the same.
With endometrial cancer, the most common gynecological cancer in the western world and the fourth most prevalent in the U.S., it can literally be a matter of life and death. Mortality rates from this cancer have nearly tripled in the last 25 years and are thought to be attributed to the rising incidence of obesity.
Scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston have identified genetic mutations in endometrioid endometrial carcinoma (EEC), the most common form of this cancer of the uterine lining. The mutations revealed a more lethal version of an EEC subtype previously thought to respond well to treatment. It's possible that by identifying these patients early on, oncologists can try more aggressive treatment approaches to increase the likelihood for a positive outcome.
"EEC is categorized into subtypes that help determine risk of recurrence and guide treatment," said Wei Zhang, Ph.D., professor of pathology at MD Anderson. "Most patients have Type I, which can be diagnosed early and generally has a good outcome with treatment."
Type I accounts for 70 to 80 percent of all EECs. Type II is more troublesome and is usually diagnosed late in the cancer's progression resulting in a poor prognosis. Zhang's team, however, identified a cluster of patients within Type I that appears to have a more virulent form of it previously not recognized. Zhang labeled this patient group as Cluster II.
"The patients were mostly younger and obese that's typical for Type I. What's unusual is for patients in this disease category to have decreased survival rates," said Zhang. "Molecular subtyping of EEC may help oncologists with diagnosis and prognosis within this unique subset."
Zhang believes that by being able to identify molecular "attributes," physicians can identify EEC patients at risk for this more lethal form of the disease.
Zhang's findings were published in an article appearing in this month's issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
His team discovered distinctive genetic mutations in 87 percent of the Cluster II patients. The mutations occurred in the CTNNB1 gene, which is necessary for the creation and maintenance of tissue-producing epithelial cells. Within CTNNB1, genetic sequences known as exon 3 created a "hotspot," a cellular cauldron of biological blunders. This resulted in the normally passive Type 1 becoming deadly for some patients.
With the identification of Cluster I (young, obese patients who respond well to treatment and generally have a good prognosis) and the more lethal Cluster II, Zhang demonstrated that, like twins, the two cancers may appear similar, but they have distinct genetic differences that make them unique. In the case of Cluster II, the discovery of these chromosomal quirks could lead to earlier and more effective treatments.
"The identification of this second cluster of patients with endometrial cancer helps to refute long-standing teachings that young, obese patients universally have endometrial cancers that are estrogen-driven and thus have a good prognosis," said Russell Broaddus, M.D.,Ph.D., professor of pathology at MD Anderson. "Endometrial cancer in this patient population is much more complex than we were previously led to believe. We hope that the study results can help pave the way for more individualized therapy of endometrial cancer patients who have tumors with CTNNB1 mutations."
INFORMATION:
Other MD Anderson study participants included Yuexin Liu, Ph.D., Lalit Patel, and Russell Broaddus, M.D., Ph.D. in the Department of Pathology; Gordon Mills, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Systems Biology; and Karen Lu, M.D. and Anil Sood, M.D., Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine.
Collaborative institutions included Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis; Harvard Medical College, Boston; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York City; and the Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle.
Zhang's study was funded by a Career Development Award from MD Anderson Gynecologic SPORE in Uterine Cancers (NIH 2P50 CA 098258-08), the Genome Data Analysis Centers from the NIH (U24 CA143835), and the National Foundation for Cancer Research.
Genetic 'hotspot' linked to endometrial cancer aggressiveness
New data reveal previously unknown form of this cancer; robust treatment suggested
2014-09-03
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Can sleep loss affect your brain size?
2014-09-03
MINNEAPOLIS – Sleep difficulties may be linked to faster rates of decline in brain volume, according to a study published in the September 3, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Sleep has been proposed to be "the brain's housekeeper", serving to repair and restore the brain.
The study included 147 adults 20 and 84 years old. Researchers examined the link between sleep difficulties, such as having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night, and brain volume.
All participants underwent two MRI brain scans, ...
Polyester clothes stink after exercise; cotton, not so much
2014-09-03
Polyester clothes smell worse than cotton, following intensive exercise by their wearers, because bacteria that cause odor grow better on polyester, according to research published ahead of print in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
In the study, the investigators collected t-shirts from 26 healthy individuals following an intensive, hour-long bicycle spinning session, and incubated the shirts for 28 hours before having them inspected by a trained odor panel. The researchers also investigated the taxonomy of the bacteria on the shirts, and in the axillaries. ...
NASA's HS3 hurricane mission and Terra satellite take on Tropical Storm Dolly
2014-09-03
NASA has Tropical Storm Dolly covered by satellite and the remotely piloted Global Hawk aircraft. Both captured data on Dolly before it made landfall in eastern Mexico.
The MODIS or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite took an image of Tropical Storms Norbert in the Eastern Pacific and Dolly in the Gulf of Mexico at 1:30 p.m. EDT on Sept. 2. The image showed Dolly is a much more organized storm than Norbert, and revealed Dolly's strongest, towering thunderstorms around the center of circulation. Norbert is close to the ...
Researchers discover new clues to determining the solar cycle
2014-09-03
Approximately every 11 years, the sun undergoes a complete personality change from quiet and calm to violently active. The height of the sun's activity, known as solar maximum, is a time of numerous sunspots, punctuated with profound eruptions that send radiation and solar particles out into the far reaches of space.
However, the timing of the solar cycle is far from precise. Since humans began regularly recording sunspots in the 17th century, the time between successive solar maxima has been as short as nine years, but as long as 14, making it hard to determine its cause. ...
NASA sees Tropical Storm Norbert affecting Mexico's west coast
2014-09-03
Tropical Storm Norbert has now triggered Tropical Storm Warnings for Mexico's West Coast, and NASA's Terra satellite showed how close it is to land.
On Wednesday, September 3, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a Tropical Storm Warning from La Paz to Santa Fe, Mexico. There is also a Tropical Storm Watch in effect from north of Santa Fe northward to Cabo San Lazaro, Mexico.
he MODIS or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite took an image of Tropical Storms Norbert in the Eastern Pacific and Dolly in the Gulf of ...
Climate change science aided by huge but 'invisible' efforts of amateurs
2014-09-03
Ithaca, N.Y.— Hundreds of thousands of volunteer data collectors are due for some thanks from scientists, according to a new paper that reveals the role of citizen science in studies of birds and climate change. Data collected by amateurs underpins up to 77 percent of the studies in this field, but that fact is largely invisible by the time the research appears in journals, according to a study published today in the open-access journal PLOS ONE:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0106508
"Our paper is a chance to say thank you to the ...
Forming consensus in social networks
2014-09-03
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Sept. 3, 2014) -- Social networks have become a dominant force in society. Family, friends, peers, community leaders and media communicators are all part of people's social networks. Individuals within a network may have different opinions on important issues, but it's their collective actions that determine the path society takes.
To understand the process through which we operate as a group, and to explain why we do what we do, researchers have developed a novel computational model and the corresponding conditions for reaching consensus in a wide ...
Leaky gut -- A source of non-AIDS complications in HIV-positive patients
2014-09-03
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is no longer a fatal condition, thanks to newer medications inhibiting the retrovirus, but a puzzling phenomenon has surfaced among these patients — non-AIDS complications. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have resolved the mystery with their discovery of the leaky gut as the offender. Bacterial products seep out of the colon, trigger inflammation throughout the body and set into motion the processes of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, chronic kidney and metabolic diseases, and cancer. Their ...
Study links healthy sleep duration to less sick time from work
2014-09-03
DARIEN, IL – New research suggests that sleeping 7 to 8 hours per night is associated with the lowest risk of absence from work due to sickness. The results underscore the importance of the "Sleep Well, Be Well" campaign of the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project, a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Sleep Research Society and other partners.
Results show that the risk of an extended absence from work due to sickness rose sharply among those who reported sleeping less than 6 hours or more than ...
New deep sea mushroom-shaped organisms discovered
2014-09-03
Scientists discovered two new species of sea-dwelling, mushroom-shaped organisms, according to a study published September 3, 2014 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Jean Just from University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues.
Scientists classify organisms based on shared characteristics using a taxonomic rank, including kingdom, phylum, and species. In 1986, the authors of this study collected organisms at 400 and 1000 meters deep on the south-east Australian continental slope and only just recently isolated two types of mushroom-shaped organisms that they couldn't ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Sitting too long can harm heart health, even for active people
International cancer organizations present collaborative work during oncology event in China
One or many? Exploring the population groups of the largest animal on Earth
ETRI-F&U Credit Information Co., Ltd., opens a new path for AI-based professional consultation
New evidence links gut microbiome to chronic disease outcomes
Family Heart Foundation appoints Dr. Seth Baum as Chairman of the Board of Directors
New route to ‘quantum spin liquid’ materials discovered for first time
Chang’e-6 basalts offer insights on lunar farside volcanism
Chang’e-6 lunar samples reveal 2.83-billion-year-old basalt with depleted mantle source
Zinc deficiency promotes Acinetobacter lung infection: study
How optogenetics can put the brakes on epilepsy seizures
Children exposed to antiseizure meds during pregnancy face neurodevelopmental risks, Drexel study finds
Adding immunotherapy to neoadjuvant chemoradiation may improve outcomes in esophageal cancer
Scientists transform blood into regenerative materials, paving the way for personalized, blood-based, 3D-printed implants
Maarja Öpik to take up the position of New Phytologist Editor-in-Chief from January 2025
Mountain lions coexist with outdoor recreationists by taking the night shift
Students who use dating apps take more risks with their sexual health
Breakthrough idea for CCU technology commercialization from 'carbon cycle of the earth'
Keck Hospital of USC earns an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group
Depression research pioneer Dr. Philip Gold maps disease's full-body impact
Rapid growth of global wildland-urban interface associated with wildfire risk, study shows
Generation of rat offspring from ovarian oocytes by Cross-species transplantation
Duke-NUS scientists develop novel plug-and-play test to evaluate T cell immunotherapy effectiveness
Compound metalens achieves distortion-free imaging with wide field of view
Age on the molecular level: showing changes through proteins
Label distribution similarity-based noise correction for crowdsourcing
The Lancet: Without immediate action nearly 260 million people in the USA predicted to have overweight or obesity by 2050
Diabetes medication may be effective in helping people drink less alcohol
US over 40s could live extra 5 years if they were all as active as top 25% of population
Limit hospital emissions by using short AI prompts - study
[Press-News.org] Genetic 'hotspot' linked to endometrial cancer aggressivenessNew data reveal previously unknown form of this cancer; robust treatment suggested