Personalized medicine in oncology: the future is now

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Richard L Schilsky1

  • 1Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, MC 2115, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. rschilsk@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu

Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery
|May 1, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Cancer treatment is shifting from general chemotherapy to targeted therapies and immunotherapies. These advanced approaches offer greater effectiveness and reduced toxicity for patients, enabling personalized cancer care.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Traditional cancer chemotherapy utilizes non-specific cytotoxic drugs impacting both cancerous and healthy cells.
  • This broad toxicity necessitates the development of more refined therapeutic strategies.

Approach:

  • The evolution of cancer treatment involves targeted agents and immunotherapy.
  • Targeted agents focus on specific molecular characteristics of cancer cells.
  • Immunotherapeutics aim to modulate the patient's immune response against the tumor.

Key Points:

  • Both targeted agents and immunotherapies are designed for increased efficacy and reduced side effects.
  • The use of these advanced treatments is increasingly linked to specific biomarkers.
  • This biomarker-defined approach facilitates personalized cancer treatment strategies.

Conclusions:

  • Personalized medicine in oncology represents a significant advancement over previous treatment paradigms.
  • These novel therapeutic strategies hold the potential to improve patient outcomes and decrease healthcare costs.

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