They then applied the signature to 71 patients who were randomized to receive chemotherapy in the JBR.10 trial. Patients predicted to have aggressive disease experienced the greatest benefit from chemotherapy - with a 67 percent reduction in the risk of death - while chemotherapy did not reduce the risk of death in patients designated as low risk.
While a previous JBR.10 analysis showed that overall only patients with stage II disease benefited from chemotherapy after surgery, Dr. Tsao's study demonstrates that the 15 gene signature may identify patients with both stage I and II cancers who may benefit from post-operative chemotherapy.
The study has been published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO 64325).
Source-ANI