Scientists from Pennsylvania’s Geisinger Health System have found new ways to “profile� breast cancer tumors" a development that could lead to individually customized treatments for patients.

According to a paper by Geisinger researchers published in the latest edition of the Annals of Clinical & Laboratory Science doctors may soon be “more aware� of how to more effectively treat breast cancer on a case-by-case basis. It's encouraging news during October’s “Breast Cancer Awareness Month.�

In their paper titled “Morphoproteomic and Pharmacoproteomic Correlates in Hormone-Receptor-Negative Breast Carcinoma Cell Lines � they conclude that proteomic profiling of individual tumors “may enable the pathologist and oncologist to design anti-tumor therapy that is customized for an individual patient.�

“It’s exciting because by using the approach we took in this study we have been able to find protein circuits that are amenable to specific targeted therapies. We are optimistic that this could contribute to the development of templates for customized therapy in individual breast cancer patients who have failed conventional therapy.�