Microarrays in gastrointestinal cancer: is personalized prediction of response to chemotherapy at hand?
OBJECTIVE
Molecular profiling has proven to be an invaluable tool in cancer research. Although only in its infancy, microarray technology and gene arrays have led to substantial advances in tumor identification, staging and prediction of response. This review outlines some of the more recent advances in the use of microarrays as a novel means to advance the standard of care for patients with gastrointestinal cancers.


RESULTS
Recent investigations have shown that gene expression profiles can be used to identify, stage, and guide therapeutic intervention in many gastrointestinal cancers. In cases of unknown primary disease, genetic fingerprints can be used to define the origin of the tumor in the majority of cases. Similarly, gene expression has been shown to allow for more accurate staging of patients with a variety of tumor types. Perhaps most exciting is early data that support the potential for microarray to guide therapeutic intervention by providing specific gene fingerprints which correlate with sensitivity to specific chemotherapy, biologic therapy, or other cancer treatments.


CONCLUSIONS
Gene microarrays have become a powerful resource in cancer investigations. Individualized cancer care based on specific gene profiles is on the horizon for patients with gastrointestinal cancers.
Jensen
Eric H
EH
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida 33612, USA.
McLoughlin
James M
JM
Yeatman
Timothy J
TJ
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003663:Decision Trees; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D016678:Genome; D006801:Humans; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011379:Prognosis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents