A cancer patient’s tumor is genetically profiled—how does that info help treatment?

https://www.facingourrisk.org/XRAY/tumor-profile-and-treatment

Full article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-gene-tests-for-cancer-don-t-offer-more-answers/

Jessica Wapner's Scientific American article explores the difficulties of making the vast amount of information acquired from tumor gene tests useful to patients and physicians. (9/20/16). Update: THIS INFORMATION HAS BEEN UPDATED. In late 2017, the FDA approved two separate tumor profiling tests to help guide treatment choices. The FoundationOne CDx (F1CDx) genomic test has been approved to test for 15 different targeted therapies used to treat five types of cancer, including ovarian, colorectal, lung, breast and melanoma. The FDA also approved the MSK-IMPACT and developed for use by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) to scan tumor samples for 468 different cancer-associated mutations or alterations.

Questions To Ask Your Health Care Provider

Should I have additional testing on my tumor to guide my treatment?
Will my insurance pay for additional tumor testing?
Are there any therapies that we should consider based on my tumor testing?

About FORCE

FORCE is a national nonprofit organization, established in 1999. Our mission is to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by adult hereditary cancers.