Precision Medicine

This collection brings together interviews on precision medicine: tumor genome sequencing in esophageal and other cancers, genetic risk stratification in multiple myeloma, CAR T-cell immunotherapy, and the genetics behind childhood inflammatory disease.

Recurring questions include: Has this specific tumor or disease actually been genetically tested, and would the result change the treatment plan? Which risk category does this case fall into, and how does that category change the treatment choice that follows? Is a newer approach, such as CAR T-cell therapy, a realistic option for this patient, or still investigational for a situation like this one? How is genetic susceptibility to a disease like cytokine storm or inflammatory bowel disease actually assessed in practice?

Precision medicine changes quickly, and access to the newest genetic tests and cell-based treatments varies widely between centers and countries. An independent panel of academic experts, chosen for their published work on the specific disease and genetic marker involved, can clarify whether a precision-medicine option genuinely applies to a given case, and what it would realistically change.

To ask that question about your own case, see the medical second opinion page.