On target
Surgery is usually required when we’re diagnosed with the disease, but even this depends on whether the tumour is in a position where surgery can be safely carried out. We may then be prescribed rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to get rid of cancer cells. Currently, we may also be offered targeted treatments that examine the genes of cancers to find out what tissues they multiply in and where they grow quickly. Some cells seem to have a preferred target in our bodies, and research shows how looking into the cancers’ genes suggests whether it’s more likely to turn into breast, kidney, lung or bowel cancer.
Our genes
Although the genes of cancers can reveal a lot about tissues it may grow quicker in, our own genes can also provide clinicians with information about how we would respond to drug therapies. Some of us may be more likely to respond to medications than others. An example is the medication Irinotecan, which is used for colorectal tumours. Some of us have genetic changes that mean this drug leaves our body too quickly, so we need more for it to be effective. But others may retain the medication for longer, meaning we need to be prescribed less of the drug because it could build up quicker in our systems and our wellbeing may be affected by severe side-effects. So, research into both cancer genes and our own genetics are giving doctors more scope for cancer treatments and giving us more individually-tailored treatment plans.