Cancer patients can survive longer under treatments based on their individual genetic profiles, according to a study released at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research by Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, Physician-In-Chief of the Phoenix-based Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), and the study's Principal Investigator.

The research shows that molecular profiling of patients can identify specific treatments for individuals, helping keep their cancer in check for significantly longer periods, and in some cases even shrinking tumors.

The study included 66 patients at nine centers across the United States, including Scottsdale Healthcare. All of the patients had previously experienced growth of their tumors while undergoing as many as two to six prior cancer treatments, including conventional chemotherapy.

However, after molecular profiling identified precise targets, new treatments were administered that resulted in patients experiencing significant periods of time when there was no progression of their cancer.

"This clinical trial was unique because patients acted as their own control,'' said Von Hoff." We compared each patient's progression-free survival, following treatment based on molecular profiling, to how their tumors progressed under their prior treatment regimens before molecular profiling."

In a significant number of patients, the targeted treatments provided longer periods when tumors did not progress, or even shrunk, said Von Hoff, who added that the new study was done in a way that avoided issues surrounding tumor subtypes and differences in individual biology, which have confounded other clinical trials.

He said this clinical trial demonstrated the value of personalized medicine, in which treatments are prescribed based on an individual's specific genetic makeup. The type of drugs, dosages, their delivery and other treatment aspects – all are based on each patient's individual medical needs.

Among the patients, 27 percent had breast cancer, 17 percent had colorectal cancer, 8 percent had ovarian cancer and 48 percent had cancers that were classified as miscellaneous.

Patients experienced varying levels of improvement. Among those with breast cancer, the period of progression-free survival increased for 44 percent of patients; for colorectal, 36 percent of patients; for ovarian, 20 percent of patients; and for miscellaneous cancers the improvement was seen in 16 percent of patients.

"With this trial, we are showing the power of personalized medicine using the tools we already have available to us. As these tools become more precise and more effective, the value of personalized medicine will increase," Von Hoff said.

SOURCES:
100th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, April 19, 2009, Denver, CO
Scottsdale Healthcare (http://www.shc.org)