Protein points to fibromatosis recurrence

Chinese researchers at the Children's Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai have tracked down a biomarker that could tag those fibromatosis patients whose tumor is likely to recur. Aggressive fibromatosis is a slow-growing and rare benign tumor that only occurs in around two to four people per million. However, it often comes back after surgery, especially in children. The researchers looked at samples of the tumor from children and found raised levels of the protein beta-catenin, in those whose tumors were particularly aggressive. They also found a mutation in the gene coding for the protein. The research was published in Pediatric and Developmental Pathology. Press release  | Abstract