(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Scientists are on the trail to a better
understanding of the most common form of cancer in young children.
Their study has found a new biomarker that may help predict prognosis for kids
with neuroblastoma.
The researchers uncovered the biomarker – called ZNF423 – after performing a
genome-wide screen aimed at finding new components of the retinoic acid (RA)
signaling pathway linked to the cancer. RA was targeted because studies have
shown it plays a key role in the growth and differentiation of cells. As such it
is already being used as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of many types of
cancer, including neuroblastoma.
ZNF423 was found to play its own part in the process. Specifically, results
showed reduced expression of ZNF423 was associated with a poorer outcome for
neuroblastoma patients.
“Expression levels of ZNF423 could significantly affect responses to both
endogenous and pharmacological concentrations of RA in cancer patients, which
may in turn influence the outcome of neuroblastoma,” study author Dr. Rene
Bernards, from The Netherlands Cancer Institute, was quoted as saying.
“Therefore, ZNF423 may be a useful biomarker for predicting responses to
RA-based therapies, which are increasingly being used to treat neuroblastoma.”
SOURCE: Cancer Cell, published online April 6, 2009
