Precision medicine, or personalized medicine, takes tailored cancer care a step further by looking at a tumor’s specific characteristics, or molecular footprint. Doctors have known for a while that some genetic mutations and other changes cause cancer. Occasionally, changes get passed down from parents and are present at birth, but most develop as we grow and age.
We now have two more puzzle pieces: Even among the same type of cancer, the genetic changes driving growth vary, making treatment less of a one-size-fits-all approach. At the same time, a genetic change may appear across cancer types, giving doctors a wider range of evidence to consider. While standard treatments continue to work for many cancers, these findings point toward a newer option: targeted therapy.
If you have stage 4 cancer that no longer responds to chemotherapy or other standard treatment, the new precision medicine team at Aurora Health Care may be able to help. Those still healthy enough for treatment start by getting tested for tumor mutations. Using special software and an extensive database, your team finds matches with similar tumors across the country. They determine which treatments worked the best and offer you the most promising options.
At the Oncology Precision Medicine Clinic, you receive care from one of the state’s first programs dedicated to genetic changes in tumors. Your team uses insights from the latest research to work toward a shared goal: helping you live longer, with a better quality of life. The clinic offers:
The clinic helps people who have cancer that no longer responds to standard treatments or is moving in that direction. The team searches for drugs that control cancer longer than your previous treatments and are easier on your body. The process involves:
The Oncology Precision Medicine Clinic is located in the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee. You can reach co-director Jennifer Godden at 414-385-5845.
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