Precision oncology is the analysis of the unique genetic characteristics of a patient in order to help tailor specific treatments for that patient’s metastatic disease. Researchers at Mott Children’s Hospital of the University of Michigan Health System have been applying the precision oncology approach to pediatric cancer patients in hopes of improving survival rates for children whom do not respond to first-line treatments.

By sequencing the DNA of the child, along with the DNA and RNA of their tumor(s), oncologists were able to gain new actionable information for almost half of their pediatric patients. In one-quarter of patients participating in the study, the precision approach influenced the treatment decisions of the attending oncologists, and approximately ten percent of patients received new treatments that resulted in durable responses and clinically-significant benefits. Considering that the survival rates for childhood cancer patients that are unresponsive to preliminary treatments has not improved in many decades, the results of this clinical study might present a glimmer of optimism for families affected by pediatric cancers.

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