Personalize Medicine: Current Impacts in Oncology

This is a recording of the live presentation by Dr. Dugan at the 2008 Fall Managed Care Forum
 

This activity is sponsored by Genzyme

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Summary

The future of medicine, particularly oncology, is personalized medicine. This is the use of genetically based testing to identify either patient or tumor characteristics of a disease to target treatment. Genetic based oncology diagnostics includes tools for diagnosis and stratification, drug selection, dose selection, and patient monitoring. Many of these tests are currently being used but could be better used to both improve quality of care and reduce costs secondary to inappropriate medication use.

Key Points

• Personalized medicine is the use of diagnostic testing to identify specific characteristics of a disease in a patient to help determine targeted treatment.

• Personalized medicine is not the same as genetics.

• Genetic based oncology diagnostics includes tools for diagnosis and stratification, drug selection, dose selection, and patient monitoring.
• In the realm of oncology, most of the focus in personalized medicine is on companion diagnostics - tests whose results are paired to specific therapies or course of treatment.
• The use of personalized medicine can help managed care save money by targeting the most appropriate therapy for the most appropriate patients.

 Faculty

Michael Dugan, MD, Vice President, Pathology Services, Genzyme Genetics

This webcast is not accredited for continuing education credits.