Researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia on Wednesday said they have identified five genes which can help in improving treatment of patients with brain cancer.
The breakthrough is part of a study presented at a major conference in Adelaide on cancer treatment.

According to the study, doctors can better treat brain cancer patients if they extract the tumor from them and recommend a better therapy in each case. The genes in these cancers serve as guides for doctors in individually treating patients.

University of Sydney spokeswoman Kerrie McDonald said, “What we’re trying to do is find genes that can act as markers, that can flag a certain patient who will respond to a certain treatment.”

She added, “Rather than use the one-treatment-fits-all approach, we’re actually trying tailor-make or personalize the treatment.”

In Australia, about 1,400 people get brain cancer every year, while in the United States, brain tumors affect about one of every 5,000 people.