Research study on epigenetic phenotypes published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology

Feb 11 2010

PrognosDx Health, Inc. announced today that in an independent research study published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, cellular levels of histone modifications define previously unrecognized subsets of patients with pancreatic cancer with distinct epigenetic phenotypes and clinical outcomes. Histone modifications represent novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers that could inform clinical decisions, including use of fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy.

“Our data indicate that cellular levels of histone modifications represent highly significant and independent prognostic markers for pancreatic cancer and may be helpful in predicting response to chemotherapy.”

“Cellular patterns of histone modifications provide additional independent prognostic information for several tumor types, including prostate, kidney, lung, breast and ovarian cancers, with lower levels predicting significantly poorer survival probabilities,” said Siavash K. Kurdistani, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). “Our data indicate that cellular levels of histone modifications represent highly significant and independent prognostic markers for pancreatic cancer and may be helpful in predicting response to chemotherapy.”