Precision Medicine in Oncology®

Sandra Swain, MD, medical director of the Washington Cancer Institute at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, highlights information presented at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Meeting.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute have developed a comprehensive analysis of coding variants in nine of the most frequently studied human tumor cell lines in cancer research.

The FDA has approved afatinib, along with a companion diagnostic, to treat patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer who express specific types of EGFR mutations.

Josep Tabernero, MD, PhD, from the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, believes that in order to treat patients with gastrointestinal cancers more effectively, researchers must focus on the molecular classification of particular subpopulations.

Highlights of key findings from several phase I clinical trials that provide insight into new and emerging druggable targets and targeted therapies.

Cancer centers are beginning to establish oncology nurse navigator programs with integrated processes for assessment, identification, referral, education, care, and support for patients whose gynecologic cancers may be genetically-based.

Women with breast cancer who are carriers of BRCA1 mutations have increased mortality compared with noncarriers, according to a retrospective study carried out in the Netherlands.

Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD, from the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the potential predictive impact of KRAS and NRAS mutations in metastatic colorectal cancer.

The translation of scientific advances in nanotechnology into cancer therapies, in vitro assays, and imaging tools is poised for takeoff, amid fresh excitement among investors and a mushrooming of findings from leading research institutions.

A dual-action PARP inhibitor has shown sufficient clinical activity to continue its investigation in women with recurrent BRCA-mutant ovarian cancer.

The complex regulation of NF-κB activation has presented significant challenges for the development of anticancer agents, but researchers are now beginning to better understand and embrace this complexity to drive development of a variety of novel NF-κB-targeting strategies.

Andrew D. Seidman, MD, from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, describes his excitement over the genetic advances made in the treatment of patients with cancer.

Julian Adams, PhD, from Infinity Pharmaceuticals, describes the mechanism of action for the experimental PI3 kinase delta/gamma inhibitor IPI-145 in hematologic malignancies.

Squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck have different patterns of genetic alterations, some of which may be actionable or druggable with available agents or drugs in development.

Ellen T. Matloff, MS, CGC, from the Yale School of Medicine/Yale Cancer Center, describes the impact of the US Supreme Court decision to restrict the patenting of segments of DNA in isolation.

In an interview with OncologyLive, Brian G.M. Durie, MD, provided details about the Black Swan initiative and how he expects the project to develop.

After years of varying decisions by lower courts regarding the patents held on a test for genetic mutations associated with breast cancer, the US Supreme Court has ruled that a segment of DNA in isolation is a natural product and not eligible for patent protection.

Yvonne M. Saenger, MD, Assistant Professor in Medicine and Dermatology, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, discusses the idea of combining targeted and immune agents.

As one of the world's top multiple myeloma physicians and researchers, Brian G.M. Durie, MD, can boil his mission down to one simple goal: saving lives. But it was two people the doctor couldn't save who have most affected his path.

A new study suggests that germline mutations of BRCA1/2 could play a significant role in more-aggressive cases of prostate cancer. Additionally, BRCA2 mutations were specifically linked to poor overall survival.

New research suggests that HER2-targeted drugs may actually have much broader applications, benefiting patients who are not designated HER2-positive by routine testing.