WORCESTER, Mass.-Tumor metastasis, or the spread of cancerous cells from an original site to one or more sites elsewhere in the body, has often fatal consequences for cancer patients. Early detection and treatment of patients with the high potential to develop metastasis is crucial to improve cancer patient survival. Now, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and UMass Memorial Medical Center have identified the protein IMP3 as a novel biomarker that is a powerful new tool in the prediction of metastasis and the subsequent prognosis of patients with renal cell carcinoma-a discovery with near immediate implications for the treatment of this common cancer.
