The application of “Omics” to accelerate precision medicine in Supportive Care in Cancer

Excerpt

The desirability of applying precision medicine to the treatment of cancer has been of ongoing and expanding importance. Advances in molecular biology and genomics have enabled the discovery of specific somatic mutations, which are often strongly associated with targeted treatment response and have been pivotal in catalyzing a departure away from the “one size fits all” approach that has dominated cancer therapy [1]. It became apparent that histologically similar cancers could vastly differ in their responses to a particular regimen. While oncologic precision initiatives focused on tumor control have led to improvements in cancer survival, the myriad of toxicities associated with anti-cancer drugs and radiation has also provided an opportunity for further individualizing care [2]. Just as individual’s tumor responses varied widely, so have patient’s toxicity profiles. Moreover, while many of these toxicities bear the same name as those associated with standard chemotherapy drugs, the behaviors are proving to be different and therefore require alternative mitigation strategies. …