Oncogenomics: a personalized cancer therapy

Abstract

This article is concerned with the generally small proportion of genetically-influenced cancers in which the environment plays no role. After defining the nature of cancer and its clonal evolution, I review the various cancer theories and corresponding therapies that have evolved over the last several decades. In this context, I also discuss the problem of drug resistance that frequently develops in patients undergoing these cancer treatments. I then systematically review the several major recent developments in cancer treatment. I finally introduce the newest oncogenomic approach that seems to offer considerable promise, at least for solid tumors. This latter approach requires scanning the genome of individual patients to sift out "actionable findings" from DNA sequencing data, a long and tedious task in need of acceleration if we hope to implement at last personalized cancer therapies. I suggest looking also beyond copy number variations in the search for those actionable findings.