Health Matters

It has just been announced that the complete genetic codes of two human cancers have been mapped for the first time. Leading the way to have a much more personalised treatment plan for individual cancer cases treated on a genetic level.

What does this mean? Firstly, it has been described as the biggest development in cancer care in a decade and that by 2020 all cancer patients can have their tumours mapped to see what the genetic defect is that causes the problem.

Once you have an idea of where and how the tumour occurs you can then look to see what the best treatment available to tackle the cancer will be. Cancer is a disease that affects the body on a genetic level and can influence by the way you live your life, for example, bad diet and smoking. Once the gene map is completed the specialist will have much more information on how the tumour has developed and what is driving the growth.

The next step is to try and sift through all the mutated cells to pin point the cause not just the damage that the cancer causes.

The potential benefits for patient treatments are immense but the studies at a very early stage with a lot more work to de done to take it from the Lab to the clinic and general public availability. However, this is a very big step forward in this field which will open the doors to a new era of cancer treatment. The effects that this will have on survival rates can only be guessed at for the time being.