Treatment aid: The marker can identify which men are at risk of their cancer spreading. [File photo]
Last Update: Wednesday, October 4, 2006. 11:28am (AEST)

Genetic marker aids cancer treatment

Researchers at the Garvan Institute in Sydney have found a genetic marker that can identify men who are at highest risk of cancer spreading to other parts of the body after surgery.

A spokeswoman for the institute, Dr Branwen Morgan, says low levels of a marker called AZGP1 can identify the one-in-five surgical patients who have a high risk of the cancer spreading.

"These men with the low levels of the marker could benefit from more aggressive treatment, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy, at the time of surgery when they still have potentially curable cancer," she said.

"Men with low risk of cancer threat have the option then of deferring treatments that have a negative impact on quality of life."

The researchers now want to examine if the genetic marker can predict cancer spread in other men diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The research has been published in today's edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.