In a preliminary study, researchers identified a novel biomarker that predicts cancer metastasis. If validated in more-rigorous studies, the biomarker could help clinicians improve treatment strategies for patients with certain types of cancer.
Researchers found in a small preliminary study that varying levels of a novel biomarker, an N-terminal truncated protein variant of carboxypeptidase E (CPE-ΔN), may be predictive of metastasis in certain cancers.
Researchers with the National Institutes of Health and the University of Hong Kong in China discovered that an N-terminal truncated protein variant of carboxypeptidase E (CPE-ΔN) induces tumor growth and metastasis. Patients with high levels of this protein were more likely to have their cancer spread, regardless of staging and grading; those with low levels, regardless of staging and grading, were more likely to not have their cancers spread (Lee TK et al. J Clin Invest. doi: 10.1172/JCI40433
