Doctors at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center say they’ve made big leaps for how to treat patients, but they say much work remains…
Precision Oncology was the theme for the latest panel discussion. That’s where each person’s cancer can be studied so treatments can be geared toward what will work for them. It starts with genetic sequencing of cancers, but Doctor Colin Pritchard, co-director of genetics and the solid tumor lab at UW Medicine, says right now they focus on about 400 genes about which they know a lot more. He compares the technology they use and what they know to a 747 pulling a kid on a tricycle. “Great power for research, but we unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, still know relatively little about the genome and how to use that to treat patients,” Pritchard says, “So for that reason, at least in 2022, we’re really focused in on those genes we know a lot about even though the costs are coming down.”
The “endgame”, as they call it, is whole genome sequencing they hope will not only improve treatments but be a big step toward a cure for cancer.
This month’s panel comes just hours after Fred Hutch received a pledge of more than $710 million over 10 years from the Bezos family.
