There has been an increasing focus on using genomics in cancer care. Working with start-up company Synapse, UCSF hopes to create a database of genetic and medical information that experts will be able to analyze. The goal is to make this part of routine cancer care.
Discovering new types of patient-specific therapy would eliminate the one-size-fits-all treatments of the past. The results of this could bring about more effective treatments with fewer side effects and improve quality of life for individuals with cancer, like this article points out.
Oncologists will now have more options for patients who do not respond well to traditional treatments. Genetic testing will offer other paths that could be more effective in conquering cancer.
I think that articles like this offer a lot of hope that cancer will be at least manageable, if not cured. The article linked in the text mentions treating cancer as a chronic disease which, while not ideal, means that it is not always terminal. The article also mentioned the possibility of eliminating chemotherapy entirely, which would be a huge step in cancer care. This is amazing news, knowing that the unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy could be avoided and that better treatments would buy patients significant, quality time.
Overall, the use of genomics in this way seems promising in finding a cure down the road and helping patients live better and longer in the mean time.
Article:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/05/us-healthcare-tech-cancer-idUSKBN0IP2EC20141105
This article seems like with the research they are doing there is a lot of hope to hopefully finding a cure for cancer and if not at least being able to manage patients cancer better on a more personal level. I think patient specific therapy is a much better way to treat patients rather then a one size fits all approach, because everyone is different and we all don't respond to treatments the same, so hopefully this has a better affect on patients.
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