Penn Cancer Center to Expand Tumor Genetic Testing Program

The University of Pennsylvania Medical Center's Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia has decided to expand its tumor genetic testing to all tumors from melanoma, blood, brain and lung cancers patients, according to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The center currently tests only some patients' tumors, screening them for specific genetic mutations that might provide a clue as to which treatment options could be most effective. Between two and three dozen cancer centers nationwide also do genetic tumor testing, according to the report.

At this time the center will focus on clinically actionable results rather than cancer genetic profiling research, meaning screening results will be used only to help physicians identify current treatment or a targeted treatment trial that fits the profile of a particular patient's cancer.

Genetic testing is part of the new movement in creating cancer therapies that target specific genetic mutations in the quest to avoid the mass cellular devastation of chemotherapy. 

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