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A test that rapidly identifies which genetic mutations have caused a cancer could pave the way for personalised treatments to improve patients' chances of survival.
Doctors in the US have developed a way to test patients for a wide range of gene variants simultaneously, allowing them to provide more effective, targeted therapy within a matter of weeks.
The test, called SNaPshot, has been used to identify mutations at more than 50 sites in 14 key genes in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and is now being offered to patients with a range of other cancers.
Analysis of the genetic makeup of cancers is becoming more common. But it is usually done for specific, single-gene mutations, so this is thought to be the first time such a wide-ranging test has been used clinically.
"Broad genotyping is going to become part of everyday care for lung cancer patients," said Lecia Sequist of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, who co-authored the research published on Wednesday in the Annals of Oncology. "Our study is exciting because it demonstrates it is possible to...
Doctors in the US have developed a way to test patients for a wide range of gene variants simultaneously, allowing them to provide more effective, targeted therapy within a matter of weeks.
The test, called SNaPshot, has been used to identify mutations at more than 50 sites in 14 key genes in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and is now being offered to patients with a range of other cancers.
Analysis of the genetic makeup of cancers is becoming more common. But it is usually done for specific, single-gene mutations, so this is thought to be the first time such a wide-ranging test has been used clinically.
"Broad genotyping is going to become part of everyday care for lung cancer patients," said Lecia Sequist of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, who co-authored the research published on Wednesday in the Annals of Oncology. "Our study is exciting because it demonstrates it is possible to...