US Pharm. 2009;34:5(Oncology suppl):14. 

Some cancer patients can experience longer periods when their tumors do not progress under treatments based on their individual genetic profiles, according to a study by Phoenix-area health care organizations. The study of 66 patients with cancer shows that molecular profiling of patients can identify specific treatments for individuals, helping to keep their cancer from growing, and even shrinking tumors, for significantly longer periods.

Patients enrolled in the study in nine centers across the United States experienced varying degrees of success. Among those with breast cancer, the period of tumor nongrowth increased for 44% of patients; for colorectal cancer, 36% of patients; for ovarian cancer, 20% of patients; and for patients with miscellaneous cancers the improvement was seen in 16% of patients. All of the patients had undergone between two and six earlier chemotherapy and other cancer treatments and had experienced tumor growth.

"With this trial, we are showing the power of personalized medicine using the tools we already have available to us. As these tools become more precise and more effective, the value of personalized medicine will increase," said Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, the study's principal investigator and physician-in-chief of the Translational Genomics Research Institute, headquartered in Phoenix.