Oncologists would like to be able to classify cancers not by whereabouts in the body they occur, but by their molecular origin. They know that certain molecules become active in tumours found in certain parts of the body. Both head-and-neck cancers and breast cancers, for example, have an abundance of molecules called epidermal growth-factor receptors (egfrs). Now a team from Cancer Research uk's London Research Institute has taken a step towards this goal. Their technique can already identify how advanced a person's cancer is, and thus how likely it is to return after treatment.
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