Implementation of genomic medicine for gastrointestinal tumors

Genomic medicine is an approach to take advantage of genomic data in medical practice and health care. The advancement of sequencing technologies has enabled the determination of individual genomes as well as the genome in neoplasms. In the field of human cancer, understanding genomic alterations in tumors and variations associated with drug responses has paved the way towards the development of new drugs and personalized medicine. International collaborations of cancer genome analyses have accumulated a huge body of information about somatic mutations, and identified new driver mutations and pathways in a wide range of cancers. In particular, a growing body of evidence has shown that information about mutations in neoplasms helps to assess the efficacy and resistance of anti-cancer drugs. Information about germline mutations associated with hereditary cancer has been shown to benefit patients by enabling early detection of their tumors and disease-specific treatment, as well as reducing the risk for those at risk. To promote personalized medicine in a more cost-effective and personalized way, further inter-institutional, nationwide, and international collaboration is needed. This article summarizes the background and current situation of genomic medicine in the field of gastrointestinal tumors to help physicians and medical coworkers by assisting their better understanding of genomic medicine and strengthening their confidence of its clinical use.