New osteosarcoma genetic marker could tailor, improve treatment for pediatric patients

MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Newly discovered genetic markers in osteosarcoma tumors could help tailor a more precise treatment, improving survival rates and quality of life for children and young adults with the disease.

The study, recently published in Cancer Research, analyzed osteosarcoma tumor profiles from mice, dogs and humans, and points to treatment paths requiring less chemotherapy drugs and fewer radiation treatments for some patients. The Masonic Cancer Center researchers leveraged the expertise of cancer researchers from the University of MinnesotaCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Medical School, the Animal Cancer Care and Research Program, and Pediatric Epidemiology unit, with grant support from the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund at Children's Cancer Research Fund.

"Humans, dogs, and mouse osteosarcoma share many clinical and molecular features. Insight gained from one species may be translatable to the others," said Jaime Modiano, VMD, PhD, contributing author to the study. "Using multi-species datasets provides unique opportunities to identify gene signatures and aspects of the immune response that can be manipulated therapeutically."

"This is a great example of the type of collaboration that was brought about by support from the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund. We now know how important immune cell infiltration is in determining who survives osteosarcoma and can begin devising strategies for recruiting immune cells to tumors lacking them," noted study co-investigator, Logan Spector, PhD, pediatric epidemiologist.

About Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota is a Comprehensive Cancer Center designated by the National Cancer Institute. For more than 25 years, researchers, educators, and care providers have worked to discover the causes, prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer and cancer-related disease. Learn more at cancer.umn.edu.

Contact:Max Huber, Masonic Cancer Center, 612-624-5005, mjhuber@umn.edu

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SOURCE Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota