We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
The importance of genetic testing in cancer.
- Authors
Lăzescu, Andreea
- Abstract
At the moment, genetic tests have become an important and necessary part of the diagnosis and treatment algorithm of cancer. Genetic testing becomes mandatory in many cancers for the correct orientation of treatment. Genetic tests have a prognostic and predictive role, depending on the outcome of the treatment and the prognosis group in which the patient is framed. Therefore, we can speak at this moment about custom therapies tailored to each individual patient, depending on the molecular biology of the tumor, prognostic factors and predictive factors. Targeted therapies are selected according to the mutations identified at the tumor level, which offer a major advantage in terms of response rate, time to disease progression and median survival. Also, the benefit of adjuvant therapies or certain types of cytotoxic agents may be estimated by preliminary genetic testing, thereby avoiding additional toxicity in patients with good prognosis at low risk of recurrence. Also, genetic tests can be used to determinate the risk of developing cancer. Several types of cancer display a familial predisposition and specific gene mutations confer a high-lifetime risk to develop the disease. During the last decades, the basis for such genetic predisposition has been clarified for several cancer syndromes and the high-risk genes mutated in familial cases are currently subjected to genetic diagnostic screening programs. Mutation testing in these genes has a major impact in genetic counseling, helps increase the chance of survival, defines the prognosis of carriers, and identifies the most appropriate and prophylactic measures.
- Subjects
GENETIC testing; GENETIC counseling; CANCER treatment
- Publication
Oncolog-Hematolog, 2017, Issue 41, p16
- ISSN
2066-8716
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.26416/onhe.41.4.2017.1347