“Molecular diagnoses by means of massive sequencing (NGS), tumor biomarkers in oncology, are the true protagonists of the revolution that we are experiencing in cancer treatments”, they report from the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM).
SEOM diagnosis: “Tumor biomarkers by you and for you”
Its two scientific secretaries, doctors Isabel Echavarría Díaz-Guardamino, medical oncologist at the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, and Mónica Granja Ortega, medical oncologist at the Hospital Clínico Universitario San Carlos, highlight this great clinical and molecular advance in “SEOM Diagnosis”.
Precision oncology, which allows the specialist to make personalized decisions during all phases of treatment, is achieving data never seen before.
For example, survivals greater than five years in patients with lung cancer; and in some mutations, these values are even exceeded in 50% of cases.
For countries like Spain, in 2022, a total of 280,101 new cases of cancer (160,066 in men and 120,035 in women) compared to 276,239 in 2021.
The most frequent cancers will be those of the colon and rectum (43,370), breast (34,750), lung (30,948), prostate (30,884), urinary bladder (22,295), non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (9,514), pancreas (9,252), kidney (8,078 ), oral cavity and pharynx (7,779), stomach (6,773) and liver (6,604).
In men, prostate cancer (30,884), colon and rectum (26,862), lung (22,316) and urinary bladder (17,992) will be diagnosed; while in women those of the breast (34,750), colon and rectum (16,508) and lung (8,632).
Calculations made by the Spanish Network of Cancer Registries (REDECAN).
“To the continuous increase in new cases, we must add the impact of the delay of other undiagnosed cases during the different waves caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” they point out from the SEOM.
What are tumor biomarkers and how are they obtained?
Biomarkers are tumor-specific molecules, whether they are abnormal proteins or mutated genes, that allow tumors to be subdivided and classified, even within the same location, in biologically different diseases, as may occur in patients with lung cancer or breast cancer. Dr. Ortega Farm
But you always have to get a sample of tumor tissue first, usually through a biopsy or blood sample for DNA extraction.
These samples will be sent to the corresponding laboratory, where they will be analyzed using specific staining techniques and visualized under a microscope, or molecular tests will be carried out to determine the gene or genes involved.
In addition, these biomarkers make it possible to group patients with tumors that behave in a similar way and, from the perspective of analysis, guide cancer treatments much better.
Specialists have two types of biomarkers: predictions and forecasts.
Predictive biomarkers are those that inform us about the probability of response to a specific treatment, and, therefore, allow us to guide treatment. These predictive biomarkers are what make precision medicine possible.
For their part, prognostic biomarkers are those that inform us about the evolution of the disease, and in particular, offer us more precise information about the expected survival for our patients, depending on their presence or not.
A present with a future of biomarkers “for everyone”
The tumors most likely to be treated in precision oncology are lung, breast, colorectal, gastric or cervical cancers. prostateso it is essential to share knowledge among all research groups so that the benefits quickly reach each and every one of the cancer patients. Doctor Echavarría Díaz-Guardamino
In relation to tumor biomarkers, the Spanish Ministry of Health reports that it is working, together with the Autonomous Communities, the scientific societies and the Carlos III Health Institute of Madrid, on the specification and updating of the common portfolio of services in the area of genetics.
Currently, a group of experts is preparing the corresponding catalogue, as well as its updating procedure, including the area of oncological biomarkers.
The planned objective will effectively and homogeneously implement precision medicine in the National Health System (SNS), guaranteeing the excellence of the provision and equity in its access to all people in the national territory.
From the SEOM, underline its scientific secretaries, a true revolution in oncology is verified by the hand of Precision Medicine.
This has been possible thanks to an ever deeper understanding of the biology of cancer through the identification of biomarkers, systematic molecular analyzes that condition the individuality of targeted treatments.
In this sense, the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology invites us to share this video:
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