Precision Medicine in Oncology: Personalised Approaches to Cancer Treatment

Precision Medicine in Oncology: Personalised Approaches to Cancer Treatment

Precision medicine is a method for healthcare providers to deliver and plan personalised care for their patients based on the genes, proteins, and other substances found in their bodies. This method is also known as tailored medicine or personalised cancer care.

In the case of cancer, precision medicine typically entails investigating how changes in specific genes or proteins in a person’s cancer cells may alter their development. However, it can also be used for other purposes. In precision medicine, clinicians use data from specific lab tests to create a plan of care that typically includes precise recommendations. It can assist in providing a more accurate diagnosis and improve treatment in some circumstances.

Precision Medicine for Personalised Approaches

Precision medicine is being used to help determine which diagnostic tests and treatments are best for different cancers. Cancer specialists could use precision medicine to assist them –

• Identify persons who may be at high risk for cancer and assist them in lowering their risk.
• Early detection of certain malignancies
• Correctly diagnosing a specific form of cancer
• Choose the finest cancer treatment alternatives.
• Determine how effective a treatment is.

Cancer Risks & Prevention

Precision medicine is sometimes utilised for those who are at a higher risk of getting specific cancers. For example, a person may discover that kidney cancer runs in their family, or their doctor may identify a cancer tendency in their family. In these circumstances, the individual should consult with a professional genetic counsellor at Apollo Hospitals, Karnataka, and pursue genetic testing.

The testing can reveal whether they have a hereditary gene alteration that puts them at a higher risk of developing certain types of cancer. If this is the case, the doctor may propose screening and other testing (typically at a younger age than usual) to help detect cancer early, or they may prescribe medications or suggest healthy habits to help reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Cancer Diagnosis

Cancer cells from patients with particular forms of cancer may be analysed for changes in specific genes (or for proteins produced as a result of these gene alterations). This testing can reveal details about their cancer, such as how it grows and spreads. These tests are known by a variety of names, including –

• Biomarker analysis
• Tumour testing, tumour genetic testing, tumour marker testing, and tumour subtyping are all options.
• Genomic testing, genomic profiling, and genome sequencing are all terms for the same thing.
• Molecular testing, also known as molecular profiling
• Somatic examination
• Next-generation sequencing (NGS)

If possible, testing is performed on a sample of the tumour (from a biopsy or surgery), but it may also be performed on a sample of blood, saliva, or other body fluids.

Cancer Treatment

Testing cancer cells for specific gene or protein alterations (called Biomarkers) can influence therapy decisions for some types of cancer. In reality, this is frequently what people mean by “precision medicine.”

Changes in genes or proteins can influence how a tumour reacts to treatment. Even though they have the same form of cancer, some tumours have gene modifications that differ from those of others. Because not all melanoma skin cancers have the same gene alterations, these tumours do not always respond in the same manner to treatment.

Pharmacogenomic testing can help clinicians determine whether certain gene or protein changes affect how a tumour reacts to treatment. Doctors can analyse cancer cells for specific gene and protein alterations before beginning kidney cancer treatment in Bangalore to help predict which medicines are most likely to work. The goal is to provide treatments that are most likely to be effective while avoiding therapies that may not be effective.

Types of Cancers Where Precision Medicine is Recommended

It is critical to recognise that precision medicine is not currently employed for every type of cancer. The goal is that one day, treatments will be tailored to the specific gene and protein abnormalities found in each individual’s cancer. There is a lot of study being done in this area.

Precision medicine is being utilised to help with treatment options for several of the more common cancers, including –

• Colon Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Lungs Cancer
• Certain Leukaemia Kinds
• Certain Lymphoma Kinds
• Melanoma
• Oesophagus Cancer
• Gastric cancer
• bOvary Cancer
• Thyroid Gland Cancer

If you have kidney cancer where treatment options may be dependent on whether or not the cells contain certain gene or protein modifications, your cancer will almost certainly be tested for them. When a person is diagnosed with one of the cancers described above, they are frequently examined for specific gene or protein alterations. Some malignancies may also be evaluated for alterations if they continue to develop during treatment or recur. If necessary, our top oncologist surgeons will perform the precise surgery for kidney cancer in Bangalore.

Cost of Precision Medicines

Precision medicine, according to experts, may help reduce healthcare costs in some areas. It can, for example, assist doctors in selecting therapies that are most likely to be effective. It means that a patient may be able to avoid receiving (and paying for) therapies that are unlikely to be effective, as well as needless side effects (and the associated expenses). However, precision medicine may include some additional costs. As an example-

• Tests for gene and protein alterations can be costly, especially if many changes are being tested for, and insurance may not cover all costs.
• People who are found to be at higher risk for cancer due to testing revealing an inherited gene mutation may face higher expenditures for suggested screening tests and other preventive therapy.
• The treatment itself may be costly for those whose best treatment option is a specific targeted therapy or immunotherapy treatment based on gene or protein alterations.

Apollo Hospitals’ healthcare facility is a well-known cancer hospital in Bangalore, and our doctors are determined to help you using personalised approaches like precision medicine to treat cancer. Whether you are looking for colon, breast, or kidney cancer treatment in Bangalore, visit us today to learn more about precision medicine treatment.