How your genome could make cancer treatment more effective – iNews

Achieving the genomics dream could make a huge difference to the 3.5 million adults and children with one of the 7,000 recognised rare diseases that could be treated far more quickly and more effective with genome testing.

Every persons genome contains 3.2 billion letters of genetic code, amounting to two terabytes of data. If it was printed your genome would fill a stack of books 61 metres high. Although officials now talk about personalised medicine, what they are trying to deliver is diagnosis and treatment related to the genomic signature of a particular patient.

It would be a disservice to patients if the UK were slow to respond to innovations in this area.

Sir Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive, Cancer Research UK

This means giving the most effective drugs against cancer, using drugs which will cause fewer side effects, seeking new drugs and treatments and moving to personalised prevention. There will also be other applications, many of which we are not yet aware of, the report says.

In the case of cancer, tumour cells develop a different genome to normal cells. Comparing a patients normal and cancerous DNA can provide valuable clues about the best form of treatment, although this information is not set in stone. Cancers evolve rapidly and alter their DNA, which can make them resistant to treatments.

This is still much more to learn about genomes and their relation with treatment response, but once that knowledge base expands there should be much faster diagnosis of rare diseases which currently take on average four years to diagnose.

The average patient sees five different doctors and is misdiagnosed three times before the nature of his or her illness is finally known.

As Dame Sally Davies the nations top doctor pointed out when launching her Generation Genome report, the true benefits of genomic medicine will only be realised if all clinical staff, managers and the Government work together to make wider use of revolutionary genetics techniques in the battle to improve cancer survival rates and identify rare diseases faster so patients can get the right care at the earliest opportunity.

Sir Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UKs chief executive, said: It would be a disservice to patients if the UK were slow to respond to innovations in this area.

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How your genome could make cancer treatment more effective - iNews