PRECISION MEDICINE
precision medicine has the potential to change the way we think about, identify and manage cancer care. the impact on both clinical research and patient care will grow as our understanding and technologies improve and precision medicine and biomarkers will transform the delivery of cancer care to benefit both patients and cancer care systems.
the european commission defined [2015] personalised medicine as “a model of medicine that uses the molecular profile [phenotypes and genotypes] for tailoring the right therapeutic strategy for the right person at the right time, and | or to determine the predisposition to disease and | or to deliver timely and targeted prevention” working in collaboration, we can greatly improve access to precision medicines and biomarkers, with a flexible regulatory framework that accelerates access, encouraging policies that invest in and support the use of precision medicines and biomarkers, and educating on the potential effectiveness and efficiency precision medicine and biomarkers can make in our health care system.
precision medicine is rapidly having an impact on how drugs are discovered and developed; how patients are diagnosed and treated; and how health care delivery is channeling its resources to maximize patient benefits. precision medicine is having an important impact in clinical care, the great potential to improve the quality of patient care and to help contain health care costs and it should be directed at individual patients through the practice of medicine rather than through regulatory action.
PRECISION MEDICINE AWARENESS MONTH COMES BACK IN 2021 WITH COLORECTAL CANCER CANADA AND LYMPHOMA CANADA
Montréal, October 29, 2021 – The promise of precision oncology has yet to benefit all cancer patients, disparities in genomic testing, inability to access genomic tests and targeted therapies, and delays in testing create an inconsistent landscape across the country are just some of the challenges Canada is faced with. Precision Medicine Awareness Month is meant to raise awareness about precision medicine, specifically precision oncology and to educate people living with cancer with the knowledge to confidently ask for genomic testing when appropriate to ensure more consistency and access to genomic testing.
This year Colorectal Cancer Canada and Lymphoma Canada are joining the cancer collaborative to help spread the message on the importance of precision medicine and its impact for cancer patients in Canada, but also the impact it can have on healthcare systems if implemented consistently across the country.
when to talk to your healthcare team about biomarker testing
because not all tumours behave the same way, biomarkers can provide information about the molecular characteristics of a tumour creating a personalized approach to treating cancer. knowing your biomarker status can determine if targeted therapies are right for you and...
why precision medicine matters
when we talk about mutations, this represents a very small amount of cancer patients - in colorectal cancer for example, mutations in NTRK, MSI-h/dMMR, and BRAF are considered rare [1%, 15%, 9% respectively]. however, this actually represents respectively-...
colorectal cancer canada survey results on molecular profiling in canada
@coloncanada through their GET PERSONAL program launched a two phase project- the first phase of the project included a The first phase of the project included a pan-tumour, pan-canadian survey that was sent to multi-disciplinary healthcare professionals aimed to...
let’s talk about biomarkers – BRAF
BRAF represents one of the most frequently mutated protein kinase genes in human tumours. BRAF mutation is seen in melanoma, papillary thyroid carcinoma [including papillary thyroid carcinoma arising from ovarian teratoma], ovarian serous tumours, colorectal...
let’s talk about biomarker – NTRK
neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase [NTRK] oncogenic NTRK gene fusions occur in many different tumour types. while present in a majority of certain rare tumours, such as secretory carcinoma of the breast or salivary gland and infantile fibrosarcoma, they are also...
let’s talk about biomarkers – CD19
B-lymphocyte antigen CD19 or CD19 [Cluster of Differentiation 19] is a protein that is encoding by the CD19 gene and is expressed in B-cells [B-cells are a type of white blood cell]. because CD19 is expressed on all B-cells [80% of ALL, 88% of B-cell lymphomas and...
let’s talk about biomarkers- BRCA
BRCA1 [BReast CAncer gene 1] and BRCA2 [BReast CAncer gene 2] are genes that produce proteins that help repair damaged DNA. everyone has two copies of each of these genes—inherited from each parent and despite what their names suggest, BRCA1 and BRCA2 do not cause...
tumour agnostic therapies are redefining cancer care
with an increased focus on precision medicine, a revolutionary new approach to cancer treatment, patient care and drug development has emerged - tumour agnostic therapies. tumour agnostic therapy is a type of therapy that uses drugs or other substances to treat cancer...
current biomarkers in cancer
biomarker testing has revolutionized cancer treatment for many tumour types. biomarkers is a term used to describe many different potential markers of cancer development and progression. these markers can come in many forms - proteins, biochemicals, DNA and...
understanding targeted therapies
different therapies exist to treat cancer - systemic therapies, like chemotherapy, attack both normal and cancerous cells, while targeted therapies inhibit or solicit molecular pathways - acting on specific molecular targets that are associated with the cancer. ...
fittingly on this last day of november and #precisionmedicine awareness month we’re tuned in to @GenomeCanada town hall on the future of genomics in canada