SNaPshot Makes Genetic Testing a Snap

The article says it will soon be possible for sophisticated genetic screening to be done on a routine basis in a normal clinical practice with results returned in as little as a few weeks. Cancer patients can be screened for a number of different cancer-causing genetic changes. So this means cancer patients can now more effectively be treated with therapies that target their specific genetic needs.

The test is called SNaPshot. The test looks at genetic changes that occur in cancer cells. It tests more than 50 spots where mutations often occur in 14 major cancer genes. The mutations disrupt the behavior of normal cells which causes them to multiply out of control and result in tumors.

SNaPshot helps to match patients with targeted therapies that will attack and control genetic abnormalities in various cancer types. It does this by identifying the patient's individual genotypes.

This personalized medicine is expected to improve response rates by up to 45% among non-small-cell lung cancer patients. This genetic screening is going to become common for lung cancer patients. However, its applications have been extended and it is being used to screen for colorectal, breast, and gliomas tumors. In the future, it is intended to be used to screen the cancers of the blood.