WEDNESDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- A two-gene signature can predict malignancy and survival in patients with adrenocortical tumors independently of pathology and tumor staging, according to research published online Jan. 12 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Aurelien de Reynies, from Ligue Nationale Contre Le Cancer in Paris, France, and colleagues profiled gene expression in 153 unilateral adrenocortical tumors to identify a molecular signature of malignancy and a predictor of survival.
The investigators found that expression of both DLG7 and PINK1 best predicted disease-free survival in 47 randomly chosen patients, which was validated in an additional 104 patients. This gene signature was an independent predictor of malignancy even after adjusting for Weiss score, and could correctly classify tumors with intermediate Weiss scores, the researchers report. Among 23 malignant tumors, expression of both BUB1B and PINK1 best predicted overall survival and remained an independent predictor after adjusting for MarFarlane staging, which was validated in an independent group of 35 patients.
"Gene expression analysis unravels two distinct groups of adrenocortical carcinomas," de Reynies and colleagues conclude. "The molecular predictors of malignancy and of survival are reliable and provide valuable independent information in addition to pathology and tumor staging."
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
