According to a story from IT Business Net, the medical company KIYATEC, Inc., has recently announced that that the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University has joined the company’s 3D-PREDICT research study and has recently begun to recruit patients. This study will test a method developed by KIYATEC that will hopefully be able to predict if a patient with cancer such as glioblastoma or ovarian cancer will respond to certain therapies.
About Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma is a rare brain cancer. It is also the most aggressive cancer to originate in the brain. It is characterized by its rapid progression and poor response to most treatments. Symptoms of glioblastoma include personality changes, headaches, memory loss, seizures, vomiting, and nausea; patients may lose consciousness in late stages. While a small number of patients can survive for several years, treatment is often ineffective, with the tumor relapsing quickly. Five year survival rate is only three percent. To learn more about glioblastoma, click here.
About Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer can appear on or within the ovary. Ovarian cancer rarely causes distinctive symptoms in its early stages, so many patients are often diagnosed with advanced disease. Some symptoms of ovarian cancer include fatigue, bloating, a feeling of fullness, loss of appetite, indigestion, abdominal swelling, and pelvic pain. Treatment can include chemo, radiation, surgery, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy. Five year survival rate is 45 percent in the US. To learn more about ovarian cancer, click here.
About The Study
The study will test the predictive approach against glioblastoma, ovarian cancer, and some other types of rare tumors. Glioblastoma and ovarian cancer are both forms of cancer that require prompt diagnosis and treatment to maximize benefit for the patient and improve outcomes. Unfortunately, it is rare for these cancers to be diagnosed at early stages. The goal of the predictive approach is to speed up the time in which a patient gets an effective therapy.
The method represents a step forward in personalized therapy for cancer. The approach involves the extraction of live tumor cells from the patient. The cells are then grown in a lab setting and then tested against a number of recommended therapies in order to determine which one will be the most useful for the patient.
If the method proves successful, then patients can hopefully expect to see treatment with effective therapies begin more quickly in the future.
Learn more about this study here.
