Researchers Uncover New Findings In Deadly Childhood Bone Cancer

Salt Lake City, UT (AHN) – Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have shed new light on Ewing’s sarcoma, an often deadly bone cancer that typically afflicts children and young adults.

Researchers found that patients with poor outcomes have tumors with high levels of a protein known as GSTM4, which may suppress the effects of chemotherapy.

HCI Investigator Stephen Lessnick, M.D., Ph.D. says, “Our research shows that GSTM4 is found in high levels among those patients where chemotherapy doesn’t seem to work. It’s found in low levels in patients where chemotherapy is having a more positive effect.”

Health officials believe the research could lead to drugs that can suppress GSTM4 in certain patients. It also could lead to a screening test that could reveal which therapies will be most effective for patients.

Ewing’s sarcoma is the second most common bone cancer in children and adolescents. The five-year survival rate is considered poor at about 30 percent if the cancer has spread by the time it is diagnosed, and there is an even less favorable prognosis for patients who have suffered a relapse.

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