Abstract
Precision medicine has exploited next-generation sequencing (NGS) and gene/immune-targeted drug deployment to transform the outlook for several lethal cancers. For instance, there are now several FDA-approved medications that target the sequelae of aberrant genes in a tissue-agnostic approach: pembrolizumab [microsatellite instability and tumor mutational burden (TMB) ≥10 mutations/megabase (mut/Mb)] and larotrectinib/entrectinib (NTRK fusions). Molecular interrogation further reveals the disruptive reality that metastatic cancers are tremendously complex and individually distinct. Therefore, optimized treatment often requires drug combinations (rather than monotherapy) and N-of-one customization. Early studies of this approach suggest feasibility, safety, and efficacy. Real-world data/master registry trials may also provide massive, clinically relevant datasets that further fuel the (r)evolution in oncology.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 15-28 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Trends in Cancer |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2021 |
Keywords
- cancer genes
- cell-free DNA
- circulating tumor DNA
- next-generation sequencing
- precision oncology
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology
- Cancer Research