Researchers from the Harold C Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that high expression of a gene called SHOX2 predicts poor survival in intermediate grade gliomas. This potential biomarker for glioma, a common type of brain cancer, could help clinicians determine how aggressive a cancer is, and help to determine the best course of treatment.
According to the National Cancer Institute, cancers of the brain and nervous system affect nearly 24,000 people annually. In 2013, there were an estimated 152,751 people living with brain and other nervous system cancer in the USA. The overall five-year survival rate is 33.8%
"As an independent biomarker, SHOX2 expression is as potent as the current best and most widely used marker known as IDH mutations," said Dr Adi Gazdar, Professor of Pathology in the Nancy B and Jake L Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology and a member of the Simmons Cancer Center.