Whole-genome testing helps identify treatments for breast cancer

Current ratings for: Whole-genome testing helps identify treatments for breast cancer

Public / Patient:

0 (0 votes)

Health Professionals:

0 (0 votes)

A study testing all the DNA in the genome of cancer cells - the first of its kind - has identified individuals that may benefit from new treatments currently being tested in clinical trials.

Metastatic cancer - cancer that has spread from the region of the body where it first started, to other areas - is generally regarded as being incurable. In 2013, 39,620 women died from metastatic breast cancer in the US.

Progress in developing effective new chemotherapy or hormonal therapies for metastatic cancer has been slow, though there have been developments in therapies targeting specific genetic mutations in breast cancer.

"Until now genetic testing has only analyzed a limited number of genes to select which targeted drugs are suitable for individual patients and many treatment opportunities may be missed," explains Prof. Fabrice Andr from the Institute Gustave Roussy in France, whose study is published in The Lancet Oncology.

Prof. Andr and team think that this targeting of specific mutations or DNA copy numbers in breast cancer could shape how clinical trials - and ultimately new drugs - are designed.

Link:
Whole-genome testing helps identify treatments for breast cancer