Researchers find a ‘critical need’ for whole genome sequencing of young cancer patients
October 19, 2018
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has reinvented the benchmark for diagnostic testing of childhood cancer and has implemented these precision medicine based treatments for new patients.
This study included 78 children and adolescents with a large variety of cancers. From the data collected, researchers have found that utilizing whole-genome sequencing led to the detection of additional cancer causing mutations in nearly half of patients tested.
Alterations in the genome that cause and fuel cancer vary widely. As such, whole genome sequencing is the best approach for detecting mutations often found in childhood cancer. These findings will help to uncover the genetic basis for many uncommon childhood cancers as well as provide insight into the most effective treatment options.
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