• Metastasis, the process of the spread of cancer cells to a distant site from the tissue of origin, is the primary cause of cancer-related mortality.
• A recent study classified metastasized tumors with varying sites of origin into four subtypes based on differences in their gene expression profiles.
• Based on these molecular profiles, the researchers were also able to identify therapeutics that could potentially target each individual metastatic tumor subtype.
• These findings suggest that personalized treatments could be developed for metastatic cancer based on the gene expression profile of the tumor.

A recent studyTrusted Source published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine reports that different types of cancers, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer that had metastasized, could be categorized into four subtypes based on the differences in their gene expression profiles.

These findings suggest that a single treatment may not be suitable for all metastasized cancers and individualized treatments, developed in accordance with the gene expression profile of the tumor, could be more effective.