Targeted therapies and precision medicines can improve patient survival and quality of life by allowing doctors to connect some patients to the most effective treatment for their cancer, which enables patients to avoid treatments that will be ineffective or have more adverse effects.
Biomarkers are an essential part of precision medicine, providing insight into physiological processes, medical conditions, or diseases. Cancer biomarkers can include molecules like proteins or genetic alterations such as mutations, rearrangements, or fusions.
Biomarker testing (also called genomic, tumor or molecular testing) is the analysis of a patient’s tissue, blood, or fluid biospecimen for the presence of a biomarker. The results of these biomarker tests can help determine the best treatment plan for a specific patient, including precision medicines.
Testing patients for specific biomarkers is integral to precision medicine in cancer care, but many patients who could benefit from this type of testing aren’t getting it. Your story could help change that.