Cracking Cancer Flashcards
What is personalized oncogenomics (POG)?
It is the use of individual patient’s genome information (both DNA and RNA) to guide treatment.
How is POG done?
The tumor DNA/RNA information is compared to normal cells from the same patient. In that way, mutations that are patient specific can be identified.
How are targetable mutations dealt with and what is this telling us about cancer?
By combing the literature for already available medications than can target the patients’ mutations. In most cases, the available medications are not related at all to the treatment of cancer. So in many ways, it is moving us away from the traditional tissue-based classification of cancer (e.g. breast, lung, etc).
There are currently hundreds of terminal cancer patients enrolled in POG, with the numbers expected to increase to thousands by 2020. So far, only a small proportion of patients have been identified to have targetable mutations. What has been the gain for others and what could be the gain beyond the personalized experiences?
The information has improved the outcome of the terminal condition for approximately 40% of patients. This is because in the absence of available drugs to target patient’s specific mutations, the gathered genomic information can sometimes help physicians decide what kind of standard treatment (e.g. chemotherapy, hormone, etc) could be more efficient for each patient.
Overall the collection of data from hundreds and thousands of patients will add knowledge on the genomic origin of cancer. This will include not only specific personal differences but eventually, given large numbers, subtle similarities which could inform us on directions towards the development of new approaches for treatment (e.g. new drugs).
Sometimes successful treatments are followed by relapse. What does that tell us about cancer?
Cancer evolves and as such it is a moving target. Health practitioners need to adapt treatment to such changes.
