Tumor Profiling : Glossary

 

Tumor Profiling Services - examine the genetic and molecular changes unique to a patient's tumor so that treatment options may be matched to the tumor's molecular profile. This service helps us create a cancer treatment plan based on the tumor tested. By comparing the tumor's information with data from published clinical studies by thousands of the world's leading cancer researchers, tumor profiling can help us determine which treatments are potentially effective and, just as important, which treatments are potentially ineffective.   

 

Many of our patients have benefitted from the use of this new service.  While some of our patients have seen their cancer treated successfully with targeted therapy, others have benefitted from increased progression-free survival rates (time during which the cancer did not grow or spread) and/or improved quality of life, both of which are very important factors to patients with advanced forms of the disease.   There are different types of patients who can benefit from or who are good candidates for this new advanced technology.  To determine if you are a good candidate, please contact our office.  

 

Biomarkers – Biomarkers are physical, functional or biochemical indicators of physiological or disease processes. Biomarkers provide a number of key indicators to doctors and their patients.  For example, biomarkers can provide critical information about how a person’s cancer might progress, how well a person’s tumor might respond to a particular therapy, and what types of side effects a patient might experience.  The discovery of biomarkers across multiple tumor types has unlocked new information about cancer biology by providing critical insights to biological, pathogenic and pharmacologic responses to treatment.  Some tumor types may have a number of biomarkers associated with them.  Many of these biomarkers may have an emerging role in providing clinicians with tools for clinical treatment of cancer.

 

Tumor profiling – Tumor profiling, also called molecular profiling, involves the testing of a person’s individual tumor to determine its genetic and molecular structure.  The genetic and molecular structure of a tumor is unique to each patient.  The information derived from tumor profiling identifies specific biomarkers that can be targeted with potential more effective treatments.  Equally important, the information may prevent the use of treatments known to be ineffective.

 

Personalized Cancer Care – Personalized cancer care is based on the concept that each person’s cancer is unique. Treatment that works for one person may be completely ineffective for the other person.  With personalized cancer care we may be able to identify of the right biomarker or “target” associated with a person’s unique cancer and create a personalized a treatment plan based tailored to each patient.

 

Tumor profiling may be helpful for certain solid tumor cancer patients, and you may be a good candidate if:

• You have a rare, aggressive or advanced cancer

• You have not been responsive to previous treatment(s)

• You are facing limited treatment options

• You have multiple treatment options to choose between

• You and your doctor are exploring treatment options because the best treatment plan is not clear