BioCentury
ARTICLE | Cover Story

Scanning for oncogene addiction

November 3, 2011 7:00 AM UTC

A method developed at the Stanford University for computationally analyzing CT scan images based on an improved model of oncogene addiction could help predict patient response to targeted cancer therapies better than biopsies.1 The researchers now plan to validate the underlying model in a large clinical trial.

Oncogene addiction refers to a phenomenon whereby certain tumors are highly sensitive to therapies targeting just one oncogene out of all the deregulated genes that could serve as potential targets.2 Although the mechanisms underlying oncogene addiction are not yet fully understood, this phenomenon is at the root of the success of existing targeted cancer therapies...