University Hospitals Case Medical Center researchers conducted a new study and found that deep genome sequencing of breast cancer tumors can help predict how patients will react to clinical treatments, according to a press release.
While no definite cure has been found for cancer yet, there is a wide availability of medical procedures that can help eradicate cancerous tumors or in some cases slow down its growth process. However, many time patients don't react positivity to these treatments and their condition worsens. University Hospitals Case Medical Center researchers undertook this study to find a way that can help predict future clinical outcomes in breast cancer patients.
Deep sequencing includes sequencing the same region multiple times to identify which mutations within tumors are responsible for cancer evolution. After studying a group of cancer patients, researchers found that deep genome sequencing resulted in the reduction of commonly mutated genes in breast cancer after just one dose of preoperative therapy.
"Genomics is the new frontier of cancer research, and this study shows that we may be able to accurately determine what treatment methods will and will not be effective for individual patients after just one dose of medicine," said Lyndsay Harris, Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. "The ability to understand potential clinical outcomes for patients earlier in the treatment process would provide physicians with better opportunity to personalize patients' medicines according to their own tumor responses."
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in the United States. Almost one in every 8 American women develops invasive breast cancer. According to an American Cancer Society's estimate, more than 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women this year and 39,620 women will die from the disease.
Good news is that the number of breast cancer cases has reduced since 2000. In 2003, a 7 percent drop was reported. This large decrease was thought to be due to the decline in use of hormone therapy after menopause that occurred after the results of the Women's Health Initiative were published in 2002. This study linked the use of hormone therapy to an increased risk of breast cancer and heart diseases. Currently, there are more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
Click here to know more about the different stages of breast cancer and other survival statistics.
