Cancers are not all the same, so why should they be treated as such?

Personalized medicine is a relatively new approach to treating cancer. It aims to eliminate the “one size fits all” model, where treatments are generalized instead of based on a unique biological framework.

Much like a fingerprint, personalized medicine matches treatments with patients, providing highly advanced therapies on a personalized, genetic level.

“This new model of medicine categorizes patients by their biology and designs treatment according to the cancer’s genetic makeup,” said Steven Paulson, M.D., President and Chairman of the Board, Texas Oncology. “The approach has already proven effective in treating some types of leukemia, breast, lung, and colon cancers, and based on recent scientific advances, I think we will see more and more cancers treated similarly.”

Researchers study the biology of cancer patients to identify and target the altered genes responsible for the growth and spread of cancer. Through a process called “genome mapping,” researchers can map a cancer-causing gene down to the exact location on the chromosome, guiding treatment development on a highly personalized level.

With these findings, researchers can then formulate unique treatments that are targeted to a particular patient. Because the treatments are designed to match each patient on a genetic level, they are often more effective with fewer side effects than more generalized options.

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