Patients Turning To Genomic Testing To Beat Cancer
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A growing number of patients are beating cancer with the help of precision medicine.
Genomic testing is a more personalized, targeted approach to cancer care -- testing DNA doctors can identify treatments best suited for individual patients.
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Rhonda Bey is now in remission thanks to precision medicine.
"It was like a miracle," said Bey.
Two years ago, the Fern Rock grandmother was diagnosed with cancer in the appendix. She had surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, but they didn't work.
"It was very difficult," said Bey.
At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), Bey received a new kind of immunotherapy that's based on DNA testing.
"This is her genomic testing results which showed what mutations she has in her tumor," said Dr. Ankur Parikh, the medical director of precision medicine at CTCA.
Parikh says the customized therapy starts with a biopsy as the tumor's DNA is analyzed to identify genetic abnormalities that can be matched to a particular drug therapy. Parikh says it takes the guess work out of her treatment.
"It does because you don't always know which is the right mutations to treat," said Parikh.
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After a year of infusions, Bey now has no signs of cancer and is back to enjoying traveling.
"Going back from being as sick as I was to feeling as healthy as I am now, it's like a 360-degree turn that occurred in my life," said Bey. "I couldn't be more happier."
Parikh, who says genomic testing is new and evolving, thinks it hold tremendous promise for the future.
"I think it's wonderful because they're really giving patients more treatment options that they otherwise wouldn't have," said Parikh. "It's very innovative, it's novel."
Unlike chemo which destroys cancer cells and sometimes also healthy ones, immunotherapy trains the patient's immune system to attack the cancer, causing less collateral damage. The genetic testing makes it even more targeted.
