Gene expression in skeletal muscle of cancer patients before and after potentially curative surgery

The mechanisms underlying muscle wasting in cancer patients remain poorly understood, and consequently there remains an unmet clinical need for new biomarkers and treatment strategies. Microarrays were used to examine the transcriptome in single biopsies from healthy controls (n=6) and in paired biopsies [pre-resection baseline (weight-loss 7%) and 8 month post-resection follow-up (disease-free /weight-stable for previous 2 months)] from quadriceps muscle of patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer (UGIC) (n=12).