Tailoring Cancer Treatment?

One-size-fits-all cancer treatments may be a thing of the past. New research is opening up the possibility of being able to customize cancer treatment to the particular tumor.

For example, those with advanced colon cancer are now supposed to get a genetic test before being treated with either Erbitux or Vectibix, two leading cancer drugs. The reason for the mandated genetic testing is that it has been found that these drugs don’t work in nearly 40% of cancer patients.

Similar strides are being made in the treatment of breast and lung cancer. Most cancer meds are administered on a trial and error basis, and a lot of people suffer debilitating side effects as a result.

It’s not really about testing people to see if they carry a “cancer gene” that makes them more prone to become afflicted with the disease, it’s about finding the genetic quirks of a particular tumor to give more effective treatment.

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