Targeted Therapy to Treat Cancer
What is targeted therapy? Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that targets proteins that control how cancer cells grow, divide, and spread. It is the foundation of precision medicine. As researchers learn more about the DNA changes and proteins that drive cancer, they are better able to design treatments that target these proteins. […]
Genetic Testing for Inherited Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
What is genetic testing? Genetic testing looks for specific inherited changes (variants) in a person’s genes. Genetic variants can have harmful, beneficial, neutral (no effect), or unknown or uncertain effects on the risk of developing diseases. Harmful variants in some genes are known to be associated with an increased risk of developing cancer. These inherited variants are thought […]
Cancer Genetics Risk Assessment and Counseling (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version
Executive Summary This executive summary reviews the topics covered in this PDQ summary on cancer genetics risk assessment and genetic counseling, with hyperlinks to detailed sections below that describe the evidence on each topic. Identification of Individuals for Cancer Genetics Risk Assessment and Counseling Individuals are considered to be candidates for cancer risk assessment if […]
Cancer Genetics Overview (PDQ®) – Health Professional Version
Introduction [Note: Many of the medical and scientific terms used in this summary are found in the NCI Dictionary of Genetics Terms. When a linked term is clicked, the definition will appear in a separate window.] [Note: A concerted effort is being made within the genetics community to shift terminology used to describe genetic variation. The […]
The Genetics of Cancer
Genetic Changes and Cancer Cancer is a genetic disease—that is, cancer is caused by certain changes to genes that control the way our cells function, especially how they grow and divide. Genes carry the instructions to make proteins, which do much of the work in our cells. Certain gene changes can cause cells to evade normal growth controls […]
Cancer Genomics Research
Why Genomics Research Is Critical to Progress against Cancer The study of cancer genomes has revealed abnormalities in genes that drive the development and growth of many types of cancer. This knowledge has improved our understanding of the biology of cancer and led to new methods of diagnosing and treating the disease. For example, the […]