Genomics-Enabled Precision Medicine for Cancer

Cancer Treat Res. 2019:178:137-169. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-16391-4_5.

Abstract

Genomic information is increasingly being incorporated into clinical cancer care. Large-scale sequencing efforts have deepened our understanding of the genomic landscape of cancer and contributed to the expanding catalog of alterations being leveraged to aid in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Genomic profiling can provide clinically relevant information regarding somatic point mutations, copy number alterations, translocations, and gene fusions. Genomic features, such as mutational burden, can also be measured by more comprehensive sequencing strategies and have shown value in informing potential treatment options. Ongoing clinical trials are evaluating the use of molecularly targeted agents in genomically defined subsets of cancers within and across tumor histologies. Continued advancements in clinical genomics promise to further expand the application of genomics-enabled medicine to a broader spectrum of oncology patients.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Cancer; Genomics; Next-generation sequencing; Precision medicine.

MeSH terms

  • Genomics*
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Humans
  • Mutation
  • Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Precision Medicine*
  • Prognosis