Uveal melanoma is the most common eye cancer in adults: 500 to 600 new cases are diagnosed each year in France. It mainly occurs between the ages of 50 and 70 and affects both women and men. But the blue eyed people, green or gray are 2 to 3 times more likely to be affected in France than people with brown eyes.
In a study published in the journal Clinical cancer research, researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of Miami (United States) announce that they have identified patients with the disease. lanoma of the uvea which would be at greater risk of metastases. These patients are believed to be carriers of the PRAME mRNA biomarker. According to this study, patients carrying this biomarker would have a 38% more risk of suffering from metastases within 5 years.
“We were surprised to find that a single biomarker was sufficient to identify the subgroup with an increased risk of metastatic tumors”, said Professor William Harbor, lead author of the study. These results could have an immediate clinical impact because, once identified, these at-risk patients could benefit from special monitoring and could participate in clinical trials of adjuvant therapies ( rapies intended to stimulate treatment).
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