Exciting advances are being made in the treatment of cancer, thanks to genetics and genetic testing. It is aimed to determine the most appropriate treatment for each patient by molecular profiling of the tumor with genetic tests. Thanks to scientific developments in the field of biotechnology, cancer is now on its way to becoming a chronic disease like rheumatoid arthritis.
The tumor's mind is bigger than all of us. There is a very large artificial intelligence inside the tumor. He, too, develops different mutations, using very different pathways to survive. As technology and genetics advance, patients also realize that the treatment applied to a loved one in the past has differentiated themselves. Or, a treatment given to the same patient one year ago can be changed one year later due to progression (worsening) or improvement in some way. All this is actually done in the light of science, on the basis of science.
A meeting titled “Empowering Precision Oncology Through Genomics In Turkey” was held, hosted by the Generations Genetic Diseases Evaluation Center, with the contributions of the American biotechnology company Illumina, to share the aforementioned developments in biomarker research and development and molecular diagnosis.
At the meeting, Dr. from Heidelberg University Pathology Institute. Daniel Kazdal and a member of the Turkish Medical Oncology Association, Koç University Faculty of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine Tuesday Medical Oncology Lecturer Prof. Dr. Nil Molinas Mandel noted that there has been a great revolution in the field of cancer with the developments in genetics and biotechnology, and emphasized that the world of oncology no longer deals with cancers according to their types, but according to the molecular mechanism of the patient, and gave important information.
Founder of Generations Genetic Diseases Evaluation Center, Genetics and Pharmacology Specialist Dr. In the meeting hosted by Gülay Özgön, information was shared about the increase in the success rates in cancer treatment thanks to genetic tests.
Commenting on the meeting, Dr. Özgön summarizes the studies as follows:
“Genetic testing examines possible mutations that may increase a person's risk of developing cancer, or molecular mechanisms that may affect treatment planning. In this sense, genetic testing is now an integral and important part of cancer treatment. Because they guide risk reduction, screening strategies, treatment options and follow-up. In our center, we support the diagnosis and treatment decisions of physicians by taking family history, determining the appropriate genetic test, applying and interpreting the analysis for cancer patients or individuals who may have a hereditary cancer risk.”
Member of the Turkish Medical Oncology Association, Koç University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology Lecturer, who moderated the meeting. Dr. Nil Molinas Mandel noted that there has been a great revolution in the field of cancer with the developments in genetics and biotechnology, and emphasized that the world of oncology no longer deals with cancers according to their types, but according to the molecular mechanism of the patient.
prof. Dr. “Cancer is the most feared disease of our century. But there has been a lot of innovation in cancer. Great strides and new horizons have emerged in following the course of the disease, including the genetic structures, molecular characteristics of the disease and patients, and tumor cells circulating in the blood at different stages, which we can call the discoveries of the century. We say among ourselves that 'it was the clothing we used to make'. Now, we work 'boutique'; We are planning personalized treatments, and in order to be able to implement the treatments we have planned specifically for this person, we want to show if there is a mutation that triggers it. That's why we do molecular tests with samples taken from cancerous tissue and, if that's insufficient, samples from blood. This has become almost inevitable for every cancer now,” he said.