Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases on earth with the cure remaining elusive despite the numerous research. However, it could finally meet its nemesis through a revolutionary test that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The revolutionary test, called the Oncomine Dx Target Test, is the first next-generation sequencing test that will deliver precision medicine to cancer cells. Developed by Thermo Fisher Scientific, the test will identify the different mutations that occurred in the genetic makeup of a cancer tumor. Then, it will suggest what specific drug can kill that cancer.
At present, there are most important mutations doctors are looking for - ROSI, AGFR, and BRAF. That's because there are already drugs that have been developed to combat these mutations.
According to Joydeep Goswami, president of Thermo Fisher, said that putting a "multi-gene, multi-drug panel" is revolutionary in many ways. First, it can identify genetic markers and suggest drugs as quickly as they become available.
Aside from that, the test also paves the way for other innovative treatments, such as liquid cancer biopsies and personalized immunotherapy treatments.
Liquid cancer biopsies sequence the cancer DNA that is floating in a patient's blood. This type of test allows early cancer diagnoses. Personalized immunotherapy treatments, on the other hand, boost the ability of the body's immune system to battle cancer.
The test gives hope to cancer patients but some are raising concerns regarding the price. The multi-gene test is indeed expensive upfront but it can actually save a lot of money on a long-term basis because it allows patients to get the right drug immediately.
Collin Blakely, a thoracic oncologist at the UCSF, said that the multi-gene test is especially essential to lung cancer patients. That's because lung cancer is the deadliest among all types of cancer. And to be able to receive precision drugs will give them more fighting chance to beat the cancer beast.
