46 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • AUGUST 3, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
New FDA-approved method of lung
cancer detection gives many hope
Each year, more people die of lung cancer
than any other form of cancer - more
than colon, breast and prostate cancers
combined. Th e American Cancer Society
estimates of the 224,000 new cases of lung
cancer diagnosed each year, 155,000 will
succumb to the disease.
Many have heard the statistics about
lung cancer, but for those who have lived
through it, or who have a friend or loved
one battling the disease, these numbers are
even more personal and frightening. Th e
low fi ve-year survival rate (fi ve to 14 percent)
for late-stage lung cancer patients
makes the search for a way to treat this
deadly disease all the more urgent.
Genetic breakthroughs
To beat cancer, early detection is critical.
Scientifi c research over the past several
decades has revealed that cancer is
a disease primarily caused by changes
- or mutations - in the genes. Th is discovery
has led to a major shift in how
early cancer can be detected and treated.
Now, researchers are able to identify
mutations in the genetic code that are
most likely to cause potentially deadly
cancers. Th is has led to the development
of new testing technology and drugs that
target those specifi c mutations.
Th is approach is in stark contrast to
traditional detection methods that are
limited in their ability to test for a small
number of specifi c mutations linked to
only one possible treatment. Th is painstakingly
long process can take several
weeks to identify an eff ective treatment.
In a matter of days, modern techniques
using next-generation sequencing
technology can save valuable time
by avoiding the need to run multiple
tests by simultaneously screening
tumor samples for multiple mutations
and multiple potential therapies. Th e
new technology also reduces the likelihood
of subjecting patients to unnecessary
and invasive secondary biopsy procedures.
New advancements in early
detection and treatment
The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) recently
approved the Oncomine(TM) Dx Target
Test, a fi rst-of-its-kind genetic screening
solution that can detect multiple gene
mutations associated with non-small
cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from a single
tissue sample. Th e test has also been
approved to aid in selecting which specifi
c FDA-approved NSCLC treatment
the patient may be eligible for.
Take action and talk
to your doctor
A recent survey by the Journal of
Precision Medicine showed that only
about a third of patients and caregivers
had a good understanding of genomic
tools for cancer detection. Th at’s why
talking to a doctor, loved ones and others
about new techniques like sequencing
based tests to help inform more
eff ective treatment options is important.
Doctors and healthcare networks have
a responsibility to their patients to provide
the most eff ective innovations so
patients receive the best care possible.
Courtesy BPT