Molecular profiling—or “tumor genomic profiling”—is a form of testing that classifies tumors based on this genetic make-up to help diagnose and treat cancer. Using a blood test or biopsy, this testing examines the DNA of cancer cells, looking for genetic mutations that have been acquired by these cells. In doing so, molecular profiling: Helps Erlanger’s oncologists deliver targeted therapies that attack a cancer’s specific genomic aberration, allowing a better response to treatment Empowers our oncology team with a tremendous amount of predictive, prognostic and therapeutic information early in a person’s cancer diagnosis. This is vital because the first course of treatment is often the most important in controlling, and perhaps curing, the cancer.
Lets us quickly identify eligible patients for early and late-stage clinical trials; while exploring new biomarkers that can predict response to specific treatments. Since the completion of the human genome project, our knowledge and understanding of cancer has undergone a fundamental transformation. What we know about how cancer starts, grows and spreads is completely different from what we thought only 10 years ago. We now know that cancer, at its most basic level, is a disease of the genome, a person’s set of genetic instructions. Each cancer has a different genomic profile; and we now know that a one-size-fits-all approach to all cancers misses the forest for the trees.