OncoDNA: The Importance of Precision Medicine in Cancer Treatment

September 7, 2022by melidonia0

OncoDNA

The importance of precision medicine and biomarker testing in cancer treatment 

What is precision medicine?

Precision or individualized medicine is the process by which healthcare professionals decide on a specific action plan for a specific patient, based on the patient’s genetic profile. This type of medicine is particularly popular in cancer treatment, as it takes into account the cancer’s genetic profile.

Often, people diagnosed with the same type of cancer are offered the same or similar treatment. However, in each patient, the gene changes that have resulted to the development of cancer are often different. Due to their cancer cells having different genetic profiles and characteristics, patients with the same type of cancer might respond differently to the same treatment. Therefore, a size-fits-all approach is often not efficient in cancer patients.

Healthcare professionals can now test for specific genetic changes which help them assess whether a cancer patients’ response to different treatments. Nowadays, healthcare professionals tend to implement genetic tests more often in their patient management. However, patients should still be aware of theses tests and be able to discuss their needs with their healthcare professionals and evaluate whether specific genetic tests will be relevant to them and their cancer type.

Do Cypriot patients have access to this type of tests?

OncoDNA prides itself for being on the cutting edge of precision medicine, ensuring the best possible care for patients worldwide. Patients from all over the world can access biomarker tests offered by OncoDNA. Patients in Cyprus can access OncoDNA tests via the company’s local representative, Melidonia Health.

Why are OncoDNA results important to patients?

OncoDNA test results aid oncologists in accurately defining the best possible treatment for their patient.

Oncologists have a variety of cancer treatments available to them, and OncoDNA helps them decide which one will be better for each cancer patient case. These treatments include:

  • Chemotherapy: directly kills of cancer cells
  • Immunotherapy: uses specific parts of the immune system to attack cancer cells
  • Targeted therapies: attack specific changes in cancer cells, stopping them from growing, dividing and spreading
  • Hormonal therapies: stop or slow the growth of specific cancer cells which rely on hormones to grow

Based on the specific information gathered through the OncoDNA results, the oncologist will be able to select a specific treatment for the patient which is highly likely to be effective in preventing cancer cells from growing and spreading.

Moreover, OncoDNA can help doctors and patients understand why specific treatment shave failed in the past and whether certain treatments are more likely to cause specific side effects.

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