Penn Cancer Center Treating Disease Through Gene Testing

First the work of Carl June and his group of dedicated researchers, and now this from Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center: Researchers are now testing patients’ tumors for genetic mutations that could change their treatment options and decisions. Within the next couple of years, all patients at Penn’s cancer treatment center will receiving similar testing, which looks for up to 47 different mutations. Unfortunately, though, identifying those mutations is currently easier than actually treating them. But while Penn’s newest gamut of tests isn’t a cure for cancer, it does, in the words of Penn’s chief of medical oncology, Lynn Schuchter, count as a “huge leap forward.” [Philly.com]