Personalized Oncology: Organizing Cancer Treatment Around Patient Biology

Abstract

Simple Summary Cancer treatment guidelines are based on results from groups of patients and remain the foundation of cancer care. However, some patients, especially those with rare cancers or cancers that no longer respond to standard treatments, reach a point where guidelines provide no further treatment option. This does not necessarily mean that no treatment opportunity remains. The individual patient’s cancer may have biological features that suggest additional treatment options. We propose Personalized Oncology as a framework for identifying these opportunities by combining what is already known from medical research with detailed information about the individual patient’s cancer. Because no evidence can guarantee that a treatment will work for an individual, the patient’s response is carefully monitored and used to guide subsequent treatment decisions.