A set of 11 genes - dubbed the “death from cancer signature” - can identify people at the highest risk of dying from cancer, according to research presented on Tuesday.

The genes are associated with cell multiplication and renewal in both stem cells and 10 different types of cancer, according to a study by a team from the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in San Diego.

The 11 genes will alert physicians to those patients who are at much higher risk for metastatic complications and more severe cancer, Dr. Gennadi Glinksy, associate professor at the cancer center, said in a statement.

The gene panel can also identify patients who are least likely to respond to conventional cancer therapies, according to the research, presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Anaheim, California.

Early identification of these patients means that they can be directed to more aggressive, customized treatments or experimental clinical trials that they might otherwise not consider, Glinsky said.