C10120: Protein Expression Markers for the Detection of Thyroid Cancer Metastasis
Value Proposition: Difficulty in detecting recurrence of thyroid cancer in patients is a recognized medical problem. Present biomarkers for recurring thyroid cancer are not useful in a large proportion of patients with this cancer. These markers have the potential of being useful for a much larger percentage of patients and also to help staging of a newly diagnosed patient to help detect occult metastasis, as well as predict the malignant and potential of the primary tumor.
ADVANTAGES • Thyroid cancer diagnostic • Allows staging of detected Thyroid cancer to facilitate appropriate therapeutic strategy for faster patient recovery with fewest side effects. • Predict malignant potential of a primary thyroid tumor to allow identification of patients in need of vigilent surveillance.
Technical Details:
Approximately 80% of all thyroid cancers are papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). Correct staging of PTC is one of the most important parts of the work up of patients for both prediction of outcome and determination of the most appropriate treatment. PTC generally has a high cure rate with standard surgical and adjuvant radioiodine treatment of neck lymph node metastases (LNM) which are found in 30-65% of initial diagnoses of PTCs. Fifteen percent of cases with LNMs also display extremely aggressive behavior, characterized by local invasion, distant metastasis, treatment resistance, and increased mortality. Because of this low percentage of LNMs with aggressive behavior, the management of PTCs is often controversial and depends on the detection of distant metastases. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have identified three biomarkers that appear in metastatic cells of thyroid cancer but not in primary tumors. These markers can be used to provide an improved means to detect metastatic Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma cells during initial staging of a newly diagnosed carcinoma and/or to rule out recurrence.
Looking for Partners:
To develop biomarkers
Stage of Development:
Discovery
Publications/Associated Cases:
Cancer Res 2007;67(16):7885-7892; US Issued Patent 8,394,580
