Over the past decade, cancer treatment has witnessed substantial changes in the way patients are managed, with a departure from a “one-size-fits-all” approach to an increasing focus on precision medicine based on genomic variants. Molecular oncology testing holds versatile applications across various stages of cancer care, offering invaluable insights that significantly impact patient management. Key areas where testing is instrumental include:
Globally, cancer is the second leading cause of death, responsible for one in six deaths. Over the past few decades, the risk of contracting some form of cancer has risen worldwide from 1 in 3 to 1 in 2 people and in 2040, the rate of cancer diagnosis is expected to be 47% higher than today’s current rate. Early detection of cancer combined with prompt treatment can improve the chances of recovery and long-term survival.
• Assessing an individual’s risk of developing cancer
Cancer Biomarkers Cancer biomarkers are substances or characteristics that can be objectively measured and evaluated as indicators of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes, or pharmacologic responses to therapeutic interventions. They play a crucial role in the detection, diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of cancer. By identifying specific molecules or changes in the body associated with cancer development and progression, biomarkers enable early detection, personalized treatment strategies, and improved patient outcomes. The most common biomarkers used for molecular cancer testing include point mutations (both genetic and somatic), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), DNA methylation, microRNA and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA). Traditional cancer testing relies on tissue biopsies, and several cancers, such as breast cancer, are still diagnosed through immunohistochemistry (IHC), a method that is time-consuming and requires skilled pathologists. However, this diagnosis method has the potential to be replaced by multiplex qPCR analysis using the same biomarkers as those validated for diagnosis by IHC. With the millions of breast cancer screening tests performed each year, high-throughput qPCR technology has the potential to improve breast cancer screening as well as other cancer screens tests, and dramatically decrease the turn-around time and cost, while improving the accuracy of cancer detection. Traditional Biopsy vs Liquid Biopsy Tissue biopsy is considered the gold standard for cancer diagnosis, however, it is also invasive, requires surgery, and may not be suitable for some hard-to-access areas such as lung or brain tissues. New liquid biopsy techniques that use • M onitor disease progression, response to treatment and safety profiling (toxicity) • Residual disease monitoring after initial treatment interventions • D iagnosis and tumor profiling which enables healthcare providers the ability to tailor treatment based on the specific molecular characteristics
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