Taking Cancer’s Fingerprint: Rapid genetic profiling for personalized therapy
A new, faster way to identify cancer-causing mutations in the DNA of tumor cells may pave the way for the next generation of custom-tailored cancer therapies.
The cells of each person’s cancer show a particular pattern of genetic changes, and those changes vary even among people with the same kind of cancer. Therapies that have been custom tailored for specific cancer mutations can have increased effectiveness and fewer harmful side effects than do conventional cancer drugs that attack tumors more generically.