There Is No Routine Cancerjamesline.com /there-is-no-routine-cancer/

June 24, 2014 10:55 am

Just as no two people are exactly the same, neither are their cancers. Each patient’s cancer is fueled bydifferent elements that help cancer cells develop, survive, invade and grow.

These elements – or genetic differences – are the reason there is no routine cancer. Researchers andoncologists at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital andSolove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) are using genomic sequencing to study the unique geneticmakeup of each patient’s cancer.

Looking at tumors at the molecular level allows our experts to uncover what drives each individual’scancer. Even if two people are diagnosed with the same kind of cancer, genetic differences mean that,while one person may respond well to a treatment, another may not.

“For years, we diagnosed a patient’s cancer by location and stage,” says Michael A. Caligiuri, MD, directorof the Comprehensive Cancer Center and CEO of The James, “but now we’re looking at that ‘thumbprint’ –the very DNA of a tumor, so we can predict and create the most effective treatment path for each person.”

As they discover genetic variances in patients, researchers and oncologists use that information todevelop the most advanced targeted treatments in the lab that can be translated to clinical applications,leading to better outcomes, faster responses, fewer side effects and more hope.

Clinical and basic-science research at the OSUCCC – James has resulted in a number of novel, targetedtreatments and has led to improved methods of screening for certain cancers. For example, all newlydiagnosed colorectal cancer patients at the OSUCCC – James and their biological relatives are screenedfor Lynch syndrome, which is characterized by inherited genetic mutations that increase one’s risk ofcolorectal, ovarian and uterine cancer. Individuals who carry the genetic traits can then be screened more

frequently in hopes of preventing cancer. Researchers and oncologists at the OSUCCC – James areconstantly conducting this type of research, studying both normal and cancerous cells to uncover newgenetic markers and inherited mutations that drive cancer clinical trials and the pioneering of newtherapies.

To learn more about how there is no routine cancer or about the research being conducted at theOSUCCC – James, visit cancer.osu.edu or subscribe to the blog.