Affiliation:
1. Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
Abstract
Cancer is a fatal genetic disease with different aspects of complexity, including cancer immune evasion, treatment resistance and recurrence, requiring optimized treatment for proper cure. Molecular studies have revealed that tumors are extremely heterogeneous in nature, leading to the complexity of cancer progression that is ultimately linked to its genetic machinery. It is important to note that patients with the same types of cancer respond differently to cancer treatments, indicating the need for treatment options specific to each patient. Thus, in-depth genomic study of patient’s tumor will be needed to fully understand the determinants of cancer initiation and progression for effective targeted therapy. Precision oncology has evolved as a form of cancer therapy focused on genetic profiling of tumors to identify molecular alterations involved in cancer manifestation for tailored individualized treatment of the disease. There has been a deluge of formulation and mass production of anticancer agents in recent years, mainly due to advances in genomic technologies enabling precise targeting of oncogenic pathways involved in disease. This article aims to briefly explain the foundations and frontiers of precision oncology in the context of advancements in the tools and techniques exploited in the process in order to assess its scope and importance to realize the intended goals.