Personalised medicine is a recently-introduced evolving approach of medicine which aims to diagnose and provide preventive therapy or a proper treatment for patients. Analysis of an individual’s genetic profile allows medical professionals to make the most accurate and appropriate decision about the patient’s health. Personalised medicine involves molecular targeting therapies which are designed specifically to every patient to increase efficiency of the treatment and reduce unwanted side-effects (Jackson and Chester, 262). Besides the genome for a gene-testing, prognostic and predictive biological markers are required to obtain adequate patient’s information. Prognostic markers are defined as factors that help to predict disease outcome without …show more content…
The present traditional approach to cancer treatment is experimental and sometimes inefficient as the same medication and therapies are used for all. In fact, tumor heterogeneity allows the distinct populations of cells exist in one tumor due to multiple mutations. These cells exhibit different levels of metabolism, gene expression, proliferation ability and metastatic potential which allow cells to develop resistance to a drug commonly used to treat cancer. Very often patients develop treatment-related toxicity when the treatment was selected inappropriately to the severity of cancer. As a result, some patients with severe progression of the disease may be undertreated and some who experiences latent stages may be overtreated. Therefore, molecular understanding of cancer enabled by progressive development in gene sequencing, targeted therapies and molecular diagnosis should increase the potential of personalized cancer treatment to replace the traditional …show more content…
Some of the mutations are inherited, some are environmentally-induced and many are spontaneous. Every other genomic mutation allows the cell to either develop a new function or inhibit the function of normal protein. Molecular cancer diagnostic is an essential part of personalized treatment which studies the biological make-up of cancer and focuses on predictive biomarkers such as KRAS gene mutation and overexpression of EGFR that lead to colorectal cancer (CRC), EGFR is also involved in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and BRAF mutation which cause metastatic malignant melanoma, to the develop targeted drugs (Gonzalez de Castro et al.). Protein kinase inhibitors have become the major therapeutic agent to treat cancer, 17 out of approved 24 kinase inhibitors are targeted for cancer therapy (Gonzalez de Castro et al.). According to research data, there are still about 395 kinase inhibitors in clinical development, which consist 30% of total cancer drugs being under development. Advanced personalised medicine improved outcomes of treatment for metastatic malignant melanoma patients. It was discovered that 66% of this cancer have a single amino acid substitution in the BRAF oncogene which results in reduced response to the chemotherapy and increased severity of cancer (Jackson and Chester, 265). Vemurafenib is a selective Raf inhibitor which is effective in treatment of previously untreated
In conclusion, it is important for nurses to have proper training and information in the area of genetics and genomics so that it can be used in daily clinical practice (Thompson & Brooks, 2011). Using this information with clients and conducting a detailed genetic nursing assessment is a valuable component of being an effective health care provider and can help clients recognize, prevent, and/or treat diseases that are unique to their particular
It helps medics to find a direct genetic cause of the patient’s condition and target it with pharmaceutical or other therapies. The technology is used for the identification of DNA sequences that increase risks of current diseases and disorders; with this information carriers can start to make efforts to prevent them before the development of the problem. The video mentioned 200 actionable genes, structures that have direct links with a specific condition. Knowing about their presence, people have a chance to bring in preventive measures like taking anticoagulants in the case of identification of a thrombogenic gene. The technology led to the significant improvement of diagnostics and personalized treatments. It helped to find a rare, life-threatening mutation in case of Beery twins and assign a drug to a girl (Alexis) that returned her to a normal life. In the case of cancer genome sequencing led to the development of genetic drags, which target essential tumor genes and make malign structures to shrink. The video mentioned a product that works with the BRАF protein that induces cells to uncontrolled division; the drug led to the remission in the patient with metastasizing melanoma. Such treatment was effective in the case of cystic fibrosis. In the case of the breast cancer the technology helps to evaluate the aggressiveness of the condition and make a personalized decision about chemotherapy. The video also mentioned the pre-implantation genetic diagnosis – an early-staged technology that prevents the development of inherited disorders in
The concept of tumor heterogeneity being related to the course of the disease and clinical outcome in cancer patients draws additional attention in the era of personalized medicine (1). Current cancer treatment strategies are based on the site of origin of the primary tumor. However, it was shown that tumors developed from distinct cell types differ in their prognosis and response to cytotoxic therapies (2...
This module of study has focused on many aspects of human health, anatomy, and the disease process. It has included such topics as the human organ systems, the mechanism of disease and the resulting disruption of homeostasis, the integumentary system, and the musculoskeletal system. The following case studies explore how burn classification will affect treatment, how joint injuries can disrupt mobility, and last, how a sedentary lifestyle can contribute to a decline in a person’s health status. The importance of understanding disease and knowing when to seek treatment is the first step toward enjoying a balanced and healthy life.
...r, et al. "NRAS and BRAF Mutations Arise Early During Melanoma Pathogenesis and Are Preserved Throughout Tumor Progression." Clinical Cancer Research 9 (December 15, 2003): 6483–6488.
Chemotherapy is the treatment of a tumor with chemical agents to reduce mass or eradicate a tumor completely. There are certain mechanisms by which chemotherapy inhibits cancer. The first mechanism is cell death by cytotoxicity. Some chemical agents in certain amounts are toxic to cells. The cells die due to the toxic...
By using identified gene mutations that are known to cause diseases, asymptomatic individuals are able to discover if they are at risk for specific genetic conditions; this is known as genetic testing. Unfortunately, genetic testing can vary in its predictive ability. For example, Huntington disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Fragile X syndrome and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 are conditions that can be determined by genetic testing (Samen, 1996). In contrast, for multifaceted diseases like Alzheimer’s, breast and ovarian cancer and colorectal cancer, predisposition can be determined with genetic testing. However, an absolute diagnosis of those diseases cannot be made (Heshka et al., 2008).
The advancement in health care and biomedical technology has made biomedical model that focuses just on curing the disease as the dominant approach. It excludes emotional, social, psychological and behavioral aspects of illness. However with increase in chronic disease and need for long term care, the healthcare delivery systems are changing, making it more patient centric. The health practices are gradually focusing on design of treatment plans based on patents narratives.
Race can be used as a way to link a person to their ancestry, which can lead doctors to critical information that can give their patient the best treatment they can. With all of the advances in medicine there is still no way to determine a patient’s specific genetics and be able to treat each person with respect to their unique genes. Doctors narrow down possible risk factors and medication interactions by categorizing patients, by gender, age, and race. Race is a general way f...
My sister, Kathy, was diagnosed with cancer in 2013. I was shocked because my sister was always the healthy one among all us girls, the type of cancer, Kathy called colon cancer, Cancer that forms in the tissues of the colon. Most oncogene mutations of indisputable normal genes designate proto-oncogenes. Proto-oncogenes determine the “excellent” genes that usually rule what cell do and the way typically it distribute. Once a factor mutates (changes) into cell, it come back a "hurtful" factor that may become usefulness on or activated once it's not believe to be. Once this occurs, the cell becomes out of management, which might pass to cancer. As scientists learn additional throughout oncogenes, they will be powerful to develop a medication that inhibits or restrain them.
Health Care workers are constantly faced with legal and ethical issues every day during the course of their work. It is important that the health care workers have a clear understanding of these legal and ethical issues that they will face (1). In the case study analysed key legal and ethical issues arise during the initial decision-making of the incident, when the second ambulance crew arrived, throughout the treatment and during the transfer of patient to the hospital. The ethical issues in this case can be described as what the paramedic believes is the right thing to do for the patient and the legal issues control what the law describes that the paramedic should do in this situation (2, 3). It is therefore important that paramedics also
An ordinary human body contains approximately one trillion cells and precisely 46 chromosomes in each cell. However, the human body can be altered by a genetic mutation. Over the course of history, genetic mutations have had a large impact on the human race. They have brought harm to numerous amounts of people. Cancer, in particular, is one of the most lethal diseases. Cancer begins when a portion of DNA inside a chromosome is damaged, causing a cell to mutate. Then, the mutated cell reproduces multiple times and creates a tumor. Afterwards, cancer cells break off of the tumor, enter the bloodstream, and disperse throughout the body. If the cells break off, the tumor is considered malignant - this type of cancer is very difficult to cure. Many patients today stay optimistic for a medication to heal cancer. It is imperative to address a few of the causes and effects of cancer in order to gain a general knowledge of genetic mutations.
The American Cancer Society publishes current advances made in cancer research on their website. Many of the exciting discoveries about how best to treat the disease focus on the genetic aspects associated with certain types of cancer. In addition, treatments aimed at genetic solutions to cancer may be more effective and may cause fewer adverse side effects than traditional cancer treatments (American Can...
Personalized medicine is a swiftly evolving way of healthcare that customizes treatment to an individuals genetic make-up. This custom analyzes the molecular profile of each patient to determine a personalized diagnosis and course of treatment. The study of how genetic variations interface with drug response and disease risk is called pharmacogenomics (Genetic Science Learning Center, 2011). This revolutionary breakthrough in healthcare will soon become a leading practice for future generations to come.
While we may not know exactly what health care will look like in 2050, technological advances will improve the diagnosis and treatment of the chronic health conditions we face. Personalized predictive medicine will allow for living longer healthier lives as wireless monitoring systems allow patients to stay connected to health providers (Lawrence, 2010). The focus will shift from treating acute illnesses to finding and treating ailments before they become serious with more costly complications. This more balanced health care system will become a more affordable arrangement for meeting the primary medical needs of patients in the US (Lawrence, 2010).