Genomic approach towards personalized anticancer drug therapy

Abstract

Stratification of patients for multidrug response is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. Genome-based prediction models have great potential for this purpose because the extent of drug sensitivity may be attributed to the heterogeneity of the underlying genetic characteristics of cancer. However, microarray data is difficult to analyze and is not reproducible. Several machine-learning algorithms have therefore been developed in a repeatable manner. Random forests algorithm, which uses an ensemble approach based on classification and regression trees, appears to be superior for predicting multidrug sensitivity. This is because ensemble methods are more effective when there are much more predictors than samples. Here, we review recent advances in the development of classification algorithms using microarray technology for prediction of anticancer sensitivity, discuss the availability of ensemble methods for prediction models, and present data regarding the identification of potential responders to FOLFOX therapy using random forests algorithm.