[gdpawel]

In regards to diagnostics in cancer treatment, some phenotype profiling labs, in addition to testing your tumor against a number of chemotherapeutics, can also test the effectiveness of molecularly targeted agents in treating cancer.

Scientists have come to realize that cancer biology is driven by signaling pathways. Cells speak to each other and the messages they send are interpreted via intracellular pathways known as signal transduction. Picture these pathways as if they were phone lines, linking one cell to another.

Many of these pathways are activated or deactivated by chemical reactions. In some cases, programmed cell death is inhibited when these pathways are disrupted. When the cell does not die, as it should normally, cancer forms.

In recent years, research has lead to the creation of “small molecules” to regulate these chemical reactions. Hundreds of these “targeted" agents are currently in development for cancer treatment.

While some physicians are using genomic or proteomic testing to detect mutations in these pathways, phenotype analysis labs have taken a different approach. Using functional profiling, they measure the end result of pathway activation or deactivation in the individual. They can then predict whether the "individual" cancer patient will "actually" respond to a targeted agent.

To date, their results have exceeded the reported results of those who have based treatment regimens on DNA profiles (Arienti et al. Journal of Translational Medicine 2011, 9:94).