Some of the most advanced examples of personalised medicine have been made in improving the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Cancer develops when cells accumulate DNA changes (‘genetic mutations’) that make them grow in an uncontrolled manner. As cancers progress they undergo further genetic changes that enhance their spread (metastasis) or make them resistant to anti-cancer treatments.
Personalised medicine, including genetic sequencing of cancer samples, helps clinicians to match a patient with the appropriate treatment.
New medications called targeted therapies are designed to counteract cancer-causing molecules. For example, patients with breast cancers that have abnormally high amounts of a protein called HER2 can be successfully treated with a medication that blocks HER2.
It is hoped that developments made in personalising cancer treatment could also be translated to other complex conditions.
