How can genomics be used to tailor cancer treatment?

Eric Green, MD, Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, explains how genomics can be used to not only classify forms of cancer but to provide insights about the best forms of treatment for particular cancer types.

Transcript

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And what we have learned by being able to now take tens of thousands of tumors

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and read out their DNA sequence is that tumors can classify much more precisely

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based on the pattern of derangements in their DNA. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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Cancer is a disease of the genome. The reason you get a tumor is that those cells have picked up derangements in their DNA that make them grow.

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Those cells grow out of control. And for a long time, pretty much the best tool we had was to have a pathologist look under a microscope

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at a little section of the tumor and based on the pattern of what was seen microscopically, you would classify and subclassify that tumor.

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And based on that, you would know the treatments. Those are very blunt tools, and they've served others well as they can.

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But they are imprecise. And what we have learned by being

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able to now take tens of thousands of tumors and read out their DNA sequence is

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that tumors can classify much more precisely based on the pattern of derangements in their DNA.

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That's both telling us what particular subtype of a given kind of cancer but more importantly, it points immediately towards better ways

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to treat and not treat that particular individual with that particular cancer.