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Clinical Research Forum recognizes top studies

Oncologists show way to ID patients at high risk of cancer recurrence

February 20, 2019

Walter

A study by Washington University School of Medicine researchers has been recognized as a 2019 top 20 clinical research study by the Clinical Research Forum, a nonprofit organization dedicated to boosting support for clinical research and its impact on health. Studies are chosen to highlight major advances in health and medicine due to the country’s investment in research.

Senior author Matthew Walter, MD, a professor of medicine; co-first authors Eric Duncavage, MD, an associate professor of medicine, Meagan Jacoby, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine, and Gue Su Chang, PhD, a senior scientist; and their colleagues were recognized for a study titled “Mutation clearance after transplant for myelodysplastic syndrome” that appeared Sept. 13, 2018, in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The study showed that DNA sequencing of blood cells soon after a stem cell transplant can predict the likelihood of disease recurrence in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a group of cancerous disorders characterized by dysfunctional blood cells. Identifying patients at high risk of disease recurrence soon after a transplant could help guide treatment decisions.