{"id":48746,"date":"2009-06-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-06-23T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2009\/06\/23\/unmc-offers-new-molecular-test-for-treatment-of-colon-cancer\/"},"modified":"2022-08-28T19:23:59","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T00:23:59","slug":"unmc-offers-new-molecular-test-for-treatment-of-colon-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2009\/06\/23\/unmc-offers-new-molecular-test-for-treatment-of-colon-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"UNMC offers new molecular test for treatment of colon cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"panel body-content\"><div class=\"panel__container\"><p><span style=\"color: black\">Physicians at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and The Nebraska Medical Center are now using a new test that will revolutionize treatment for colon cancer. The test allows oncologists to effectively target therapy, saving patients precious time and money. <\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">&nbsp;<span style=\"color: black\">The test checks tumors for a mutation in the gene, KRAS (pronounced K-ras), said Timothy Greiner, M.D., professor of pathology\/microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and medical director of the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at The Nebraska Medical Center.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><span style=\"color: black\">&ldquo;If the mutation exists, oncologists know which treatment to use,&rdquo; Dr. Greiner said. &ldquo;This is an evolutionary change in the way we manage cancer. With this test, we can predict how patients&rsquo; cancers may respond to treatment.&rdquo;<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div>Colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and the <span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">second leading cancer killer in the United States. But,<\/span> i<span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">f everyone aged 50 or older had regular screening tests, as many as 60 percent of deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented.<\/span><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><span style=\"color: black\">KRAS is an oncogene, a certain type of protein that&rsquo;s part of a signal chain found in normal cells. When the chain is switched &lsquo;on,&rsquo; the cell divides or grows; when it&rsquo;s switched &lsquo;off,&rsquo; growth stops. But, when KRAS mutates, the chain stays on and activates a signal for indefinite cell growth &ndash; or cancer.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><span style=\"color: black\">Tumors with mutations in the KRAS gene do not respond well to the new monoclonal antibody therapies that target the epithelial growth factor receptor pathway, a treatment found effective in some colon cancers.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><span style=\"color: black\">&ldquo;The KRAS test is an example of the new era of pharmacogenetics or personalized molecular medicine testing, where an individual&rsquo;s tumor is tested to determine the best care for the patient,&rdquo; Dr. Greiner said.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><span style=\"color: black\">Established in 1996, the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory performs more than 28,000 tests per year and is the fastest growing division in the medical center&rsquo;s Pathology Laboratories. As part of personalized medicine, the lab tests a patient&rsquo;s sensitivity to certain drugs or identifies genetic targets that allow for customized treatment.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><span style=\"color: black\">KRAS is one example of how molecular tests are starting to impact patient care. Other examples include determination of patient response to:<\/span><\/div>\n<ul style=\"margin-top: 0in\" type=\"disc\">\n<li style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;color: black\">Coumadin, a blood thinner medication;<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;color: black\">Tegretol, an anti-seizure medicine; and<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;color: black\">Abicavir, an anti-HIV medication.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><span style=\"color: black\">In addition to identifying sensitivity to drugs, the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory measures the number of copies of the abnormal chromosome translocation called BCR-ABL in chronic myelogenous leukemia. This is important for evaluating the effectiveness of GLEEVEC therapy in patients with this leukemia.&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\"><span style=\"color: black\">&ldquo;We think this is just the beginning of what patients and doctors will benefit from in the coming years,&rdquo; Dr. Greiner said.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">&nbsp;<em><font size=\"2\">UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country&#8217;s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC&rsquo;s research funding from external sources now exceeds $82 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,600 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC&#8217;s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC&rsquo;s Web site at www.unmc.edu.<\/font><\/em><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Physicians at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and The Nebraska Medical Center are now using a new test that will revolutionize treatment for colon cancer. The test allows oncologists to effectively target therapy, saving patients precious time and money. &nbsp;The test checks tumors for a mutation in the gene, KRAS (pronounced K-ras), said Timothy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","department-press-release"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the 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