The first genetic marker for the bone tumor, osteoblastoma, has been discovered by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators. Whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing of human bone tumors revealed that a genetic change that affects the transcription factor, FOS, is a hallmark mutation of osteoblastoma.
The results, published in Nature Communications, will help clinicians correctly distinguish benign osteoblastoma tumors from aggressive osteosarcoma tumors and direct the correct treatment.