Classification of cancer according to their molecular profile could improve the outcome of the disease

Cancer is typically classified according to the tissue of origin. However, current possibilities offered by large-scale genomic studies allows to retrieve in detail the specific molecular profile of each tumor and classify the disease more accurately. By using the molecular profile of a multi-tumor cohort of 3,500 patients of the twelve most prevalent malignancies, a new taxonomy of cancer has been identified.

The results of this study were published in the August number of the journal Cell by the Cancer Genome Atlas consortium, led by the Buck Institute (USA) and with the participation of Nuria Lopez-Bigas, head of the Biomedical Genomics group of GRIB and ICREA researcher, and David Tamborero, a member of her group. As said Lopez-Bigas "This work is an unprecedented effort to take advantage of all the data generated by multi-platform large scale studies. This strategy aims to obtain a more accurate classification of each cancer patient to improve their diagnosis and treatment".

 Hoadley KA et al. Multiplatform analysis of 12 cancer types reveals molecular classification within and across tissues of origin. Cell, 2014; 158: 929-944.