Breast Cancer Genes That Influence Drug's Effectiveness Spotted by Scientists

Genes that can predict which breast cancer patients will respond to the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel have been identified by an international team of scientists.

They analyzed 829 genes in breast cancer cells and pinpointed 6 that had an impact on whether the drug was effective, BBC News reported.

"Our research shows it is now possible to rapidly pinpoint genes which prevent cancer cells from being destroyed by anti-cancer drugs and use these same genes to predict which patients will benefit from specific types of treatment," said study leader Dr. Charles Swanton, head of translational cancer therapeutics at Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute.

The study was published in The Lancet Oncology.

It's hoped the same gene identification method can be used for other cancers and treatments, BBC News reported.

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• Breast Cancer