From: The West, Wednesday, 18 July, 2018
Extract:
Hundreds of West Australians battling aggressive forms of cancer will have their malignant cells analysed under a world-leading program that tailors treatment to a patient’s individual circumstances.
As targeted medicine opens promising advances in cancer care, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt will today commit $50 million to providing genomic testing for 5000 patients, including about 350 in WA.
Each patient will have their cancerous cells tested using genome sequencing, which analyses their DNA to determine how to target and destroy the disease.
Mr Hunt said the result would be “tailored treatment”, enabling doctors to identify which medicine might work for a particular cancer and get it to the patient.
The Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Program will be open to patients with rare and advanced-stage cancers for whom little or no treatment options remain, including those with ovarian, pancreatic, thyroid or renal cell cancer.
The WA trials will be run from early next year at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, which is partnered with the country’s seven other major cancer centres and three research institutes…
The full story can be read here: https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/dna-breakthrough-testing-for-cancer-using-genome-sequencing-ng-b88898514z
