Personalized Medicine

Until recently, describing a person’s cancer diagnostics has remained largely focused on defining the tissue of origin and general appearance of the tumor cell under a microscope — an approach that has been used since the 1880s.

Now, however, a new approach has begun to emerge that is based on pharmacogenomics, the study of how genes affect the way individuals respond to drugs. This approach leverages molecular understanding of a person’s unique disease to identify molecularly targeted therapies that may have an increased probability of affecting the disease.

The promise of this emerging approach is advancing cancer treatment from trial-and-error and one-size-fits to truly personalized medicine with the potential for offering the right drug, at the right time, to the right person.

Where We Are Today

Personalized medicine has the potential to change the way we think about, identify, and manage disease. However, given the overwhelming volume of information generated in scientific research and advances in cancer treatment, community oncologists are:

• Challenged to keep abreast of recent scientific findings.
• Subject to poorly communicated knowledge of advances in treatment.
• Left without access to options for supporting cancer survivors in a community setting.

Fortunately, many leading cancer centers have begun to offer molecular testing to guide the use of targeted therapies in both clinical trials and direct patient care. These pioneering efforts have created a foundation for personalized medicine. Still, analyzing and interpreting the molecular underpinnings of tumors is often too complex to be part of the current standard-of-care in the community, and as a result, truly customized cancer care remains out of reach for most patients.

Now Is the Time

Intervention Insights has picked up the challenge to bring the clear advantages of personalized medicine to the community setting. We work closely with our clinical oncology and research collaborators to develop and continuously improve OncInsights™, our therapeutic information service, in support of our oncology partners and their patients’ battle against cancer.