Laboratory Medicine 2 Flashcards
Define Molecular Medicine
A branch of medicine that develops ways to diagnose and treat disease by understanding the way genes, proteins, and other cellular molecules work. Molecular medicine is based on research that shows how certain genes, molecules, and other cellular functions may become abnormal in diseases such as cancer
Define Personalized Medicine
Medicine that uses an individuals genetic profile to guide decisions made in regard to the prevention diagnosis and treatment of disease. Knowledge of a patients genetic prowl can help doctors select the proper medication or therapy and administer it using the proper dose or regimen .
Define Companion Diagnostics
A diagnostic test used to predict the likely clinical effectiveness and / or safety of a particular therapeutic intervention for a specific individual.
What was the first companion diagnostic?
Herceptin used to treat Breast Cancer. Introduced in 1998 for treatment of cancers which over expressed HER2 which is associated with aggressive tumor growth.
What are the eight limitations of traditional medicine?
- Therapeutic success is frequently probabilistic
- Protocols based on population wide data
- Nonresponsive rates are high.
- Complication rates are high.
- Determinants of success are poorly known.
- Informed guessing yeilds delays in identifying effective therapy
- Exposure to unnecessary risks
- Enormous financial time and opportunity costs.
What are the four steps to personalized medicine?
Observe
Test
Act
Predictable Outcome
When is Herceptin used in Breast Cancer?
When HER2/neu are being over-expressed.
How can molecular medicine be used in disease diagnosis?
Molecular medicine is used in diagnosis when there is a tumor with an unknown primary origin.
What is perception?
A monoclonal antibody.
How is Erbitux used to treat Metastatic Colon Cancer?
Anti EGFR monoclonal antibody initially introduced for treatment of adncaced colorectal cancer in patients whose tumors expressed EDFR
What is KRAS?
A gain of function gene that is mutated in 40% of colorectal cancers and is strongly associated with poor response to Erbitux
