Pediatric Oncology and Clinical Pediatrics

Biography

Biography: Giannoula Klement

Abstract

Research has exposed cancer to be a very heterogeneous disease with a high degree of intertumoral and intra-tumoral variability. Each individual harbors a unique tumor profile, and this cancer molecular signature makes the use of histology-based treatments problematic. These diagnostic categories, while necessary for care, thwart the use of molecular information for treatment as many molecular characteristics cross tissue type. This difficulty is compounded by the struggle to keep abreast the scientific advances made in all fields of science and by the enormous challenge to organize, cross-reference, and apply molecular data for patient benefit. In order to supplement the site-specific, histology-driven diagnosis with genomic, proteomic and metabolomics information, a paradigm shift in diagnosis and treatment of patients is required. Most physicians are open and keen to use the emerging data for therapy. But even those physicians versed in molecular therapeutics are overwhelmed with the amount of available data, and the lack of tools to integrate it. It is not surprising that even though The Human Genome Project was completed thirteen years ago, our patients have not benefited from the information. Physicians cannot, and should not be asked to process the gigabytes of genomic and proteomic information on their own in order to provide patients with safe therapies. The following consensus summary identifies the needed for practice changes, proposes potential solutions to the present crisis of informational overload, suggests ways of providing physicians with the tools necessary for interpreting patient specific molecular profiles, and facilitates the implementation of quantitative precision medicine.