Personalized medicine in oncology: tailoring the right drug to the right patient

Abstract

Despite advances in the management of many human cancers over the past few decades, improvements in survival are marginal, and the overall diagnosis and prognosis for cancer patients remain poor. Tailoring therapy to the individual patient has become a promising approach for maximizing efficacy and minimizing drug toxicity. Aided by major technological advances, the field of personalized medicine has become extremely active in the identification of predictive biomarkers that can guide treatment decisions and, ultimately, improve treatment outcomes. Genomics and proteomics have provided a means for molecular profiling that allows tailoring of therapy. Although implementing genomic and proteomic testing into clinical practice is still in its infancy, the rapid development of newer technologies and platforms provides hope for personalized medicine.