Precision medicine for breast cancer
The goal of precision medicine is to determine if a tumor has certain genetic changes that are targeted by a certain drug or drugs. We work to match the right drug to the right patient at the right time.
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center offers testing for mutations in the PI3 kinase pathway in breast tumors. These are the most common known genetic alterations in breast cancer. We perform diagnostic tests and will determine the genes in the PI3 kinase pathway that are abnormal in your tumor.
Standard tests look at one gene at a time, but these diagnostic tests examine multiple genes at once. Vanderbilt-Ingram is one of the only centers in the region that routinely test for these mutations in breast tumors.
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Meet Our Team
Why Choose Precision Medicine for Breast Cancer at Vanderbilt
- National leaders
We have made some of the first and most important advances in personalized, targeted medicine. Our team developed some of the first tests in “tumor genotyping” (analyzing the specific DNA of a tumor), helping us get the right medicine to the right patient.
- Innovation in personalized breast cancer medicine
Our researchers not only apply the latest research in cancer care, but also pioneer some of the latest innovations. Our researchers launched the My Cancer Genome resource. This international resource helps doctors match specific genetic tumor mutations to available treatments.
Common Questions
Personalized Cancer Therapy is now testing breast cancers for mutations in the PI3 kinase pathway. These are the most common genetic alterations in breast cancer known to today’s investigators. Diagnostic tests are performed and will determine the genes in the PI3 kinase pathway that are abnormal in your tumor. Standard tests look at one gene at a time, but these diagnostic tests examine multiple genes at once. The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center is one of the only centers in the region that routinely test for these mutations in breast tumors.
- How will the test results be used?
With your consent, the test results will be added to your electronic medical record, and your doctors may use the information to make treatment decisions. Patients whose tumors have mutations in the PI3 kinase pathway may be eligible for clinical trials with PI3 kinase inhibitors, which will also include the standard of care required for you.
- Am I eligible for this test?
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer or already have a diagnosis of breast cancer, tumor genetic testing will be offered as part of your care.
- How might results of the test affect my care?
If the test results become part of your medical record, the information may help you and your doctor select the treatment that would be best for you. For example, some mutations may indicate that a drug will be particularly effective. Other mutations may indicate your tumor is resistant to certain treatments. Your options may also include a new treatment with a PI3K inhibitor being studied in a clinical trial. Finally, it is possible that your tumor is found to have no mutations. In all cases, this information can help inform treatment decisions.