![Getting Ahead of Metastasis]()
Ninety percent of breast cancer-related deaths occur because the cancer has metastasized, or spread, to other parts of the body. Einstein researchers have identified a biomarker for metastasis called “Tumor Microenvironment of Metastasis,” or TMEM, consisting of three different types of cells found together in a tumor. In a paper published on November 8 online in npj Breast Cancer, the researchers assessed TMEM scores for women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative early stage breast cancer. They found that high “TMEM scores” (many TMEM sites per volume of tissue) predicted that the cancer was likely to spread. The ability to predict metastasis could lead to more effective treatments for patients. The study’s first author is Joseph Sparano, M.D., professor of medicine and of obstetrics & gynecology and women's health.
Posted on: Thursday, November 09, 2017