Online Cancer Genomics Tool for Clinicians Unveiled

(Wikimedia Commons)

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) in Nashville, Tennessee has launched a cancer decision-support tool to help physicians track the latest developments in personalized cancer medicine and find clinical research trials for their patients. The online service called My Cancer Genome (MyCancerGenome.org) is part of VICC’s Personalized Cancer Medicine Initiative, started last year.

The Web-accessible database is designed to educate clinicians on the expanding list of genetic mutations that affect different cancers and make it easier for clinicians to research various treatment options based on specific mutations. The service, according to VICC, annotates mutation-drug-disease relationships from literature reviews, summarizes the comparative effectiveness of treatments for a given cancer by mutation status, and highlights genotype-driven therapeutic clinical trials.

My Cancer Genome enables physicians with lab results showing a mutation in a specific gene to find the latest information about the clinical implications of the gene, either by reading the summary version or looking into the primary literature through Web links. The physician can then recommend treatments that are currently available or refer the patient to a clinical trial testing a targeted therapy for that gene. Patients or their families can also use the service to find out more about their type of cancer.

The cancer genome database is linked as well to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s StarPanel electronic medical records to help physicians make treatment decisions. Mia Levy, Cancer Clinical Informatics Officer for VICC, says “Once we test a patient’s tumor for specific mutations, the test results stay in a patient’s medical record, so as new treatment options become available for each mutation, our physicians will have that information at their fingertips.”

Read more: Whole Genome Sequencing Advances for Cancer Diagnosis

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