This page was reviewed under our医疗和编辑政策by
马里兰州Maurie神枪手, President, Medicine & Science.
This page was updated on April 29, 2022.
Understanding precision cancer care and the options available often requires navigating new and complex health information. The precision medicine experts,genetic counselorsandsupportive care cliniciansat City of Hope help to explain what you can expect from a genetics or genomic test, how that information may be used in developing a treatment or prevention plan and whether a clinical trial may be a viable option. Also, as part of our comprehensive approach to cancer treatment, we have a panel of experts, called a molecular tumor board, who meet regularly to share information and ideas on how to treat each patient's disease. These experts collaborate on a treatment plan personalized to fit the patient’s needs, monitoring the patient’s progress throughout treatment and making adjustments when necessary.
Because precision medicine is a rapidly developing area of medical science,advanced genomic testsand innovative treatments, such astargeted therapyandimmunotherapyshould be considered after thorough discussions between the physician and patient and based on each patient’s unique situation.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America®(CTCA) is now City of Hope®, joining forces to expand patient access to personalized, comprehensive cancer care.
At City of Hope, we use the tools of precision medicine to identify what makes a particular cancer behave the way it does. For some patients, that may include observing the entire human genome, which may uncover mutations that can be matched with targeted treatment options.
Advancements happen quickly in the field ofgenetics and genomics. In 2018, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched theAll of Us Research Program, a public health initiative that aims to sequence one million genomes across the United States within ten years. The information they gather could change the way we fight common cancers, likelung cancerandbreast cancer.
As precision medicine research continues to rapidly evolve, our oncology team is prepared to make a cancer care plan tailored to an individual's genetic makeup, using the advances in pharmacogenomics, big data analytics, artificial intelligence and biomarker testing (also called tumor profiling or next generation sequencing). The experts at our cancer centers also consider genetic information about the type of cancer you have, such as the mutator phenotype, when developing a medical treatment plan.
According to theNational Cancer Institute, "Harmful variants in some genes are known to be associated with an increased risk of developing cancer. These inherited variants are thought to contribute to about 5 to 10 percent of all cancers."
A genetic test may help determine if a patient was born with a higher risk of developing cancer due to a particular inheritedgene mutationor series of gene mutations. Being diagnosed with a hereditary condition may empower patients to make more informed decisions about how to manage their cancer risks.
If you know or suspect you have agenetic mutation这可能会增加你r cancer risk, due to a family history of a particular disease, likeleukemia,melanoma,colorectal cancerorovarian cancer, you may consider genetic counseling. Our genetic counselors help educate patients about strategies to help reduce cancer risk and/or increase the chances of catching cancer in its early stages.
Learn more about genetic counseling.Targeted therapy drugs may be recommended to treat certain cancers based on the results of an advanced genomic test. These drugs are designed to seek out features unique to cancer cells and target specific proteins ormutationsthat may be driving the cancer's growth.
Researchers have developed a series of immunotherapy drugs calledcheckpoint inhibitorsdesigned to energize the body's immune system to better recognize and attack cancer cells. These drugs are designed to expose cancer cells as invaders, triggering an immune response.
City of Hope is committed to bringing our patients innovative cancertreatment options. Ourclinical trialsexplore treatment options that may lead to tomorrow’s medicine and offer patients treatments that may not otherwise be available to them. These studies are an essential testing ground for measuring the safety, effectiveness and potential side effects of drugs and other treatments before they can be granted government approval.
One of these clinical trials is theTargeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) study. Led by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and offered atCity of Hope Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix, the study aims to improve our understanding of how commercially available anti-cancer drugs perform on a broader range of cancers, by matching the drugs to tumors with specificgenomic mutationsthat the drugs are designed to target. This study, like other clinical trials, is not available to or appropriate for all patients. Your care team will work with you to determine whether you are a candidate for TAPUR or one of our other ongoing clinical trials.
Patient care is not one-size-fits all. In addition to personalized medicine, we offer a variety of evidence-informedsupportive care therapies, such asnutritional supportandbehavioral health, to help patients maintain the strength to get through treatment. We also offer counseling,spiritual supportand other services to help patients cope with anxiety and stress.
Offering clinical trials on new and emerging cancer treatment options.
View our clinical trials