<< Back

Applying Precision Medicine to Treat Your Cancer

October 18, 2018

As many as 38 out of every 100 women will get cancer in her lifetime – yet there is tremendous hope in the world of cancer research and treatment.

Dr. Michael Kane is an expert on treating women’s cancers with the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute. 

Q: As the charter member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance, the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute is making such research and treatments each and every day. Tell us about the advances in precision treatment of cancer, especially in women.

A: I’ve seen dramatic changes in not only the diagnosis but the treatment of cancer. In many cases, we can actually take a small portion of the tumor in a biopsy, which you would’ve had anywhere at any time for the diagnosis, and then analyze the genes in that tumor to see if there are specific targets that we can use a drug that we might not have otherwise thought to use to treat that tumor.

Q: Can you describe precision medicine for those who might not know exactly what it means? 

A: Precision medicine is a way of using the new advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment to perfectly design and fit a treatment that’s just right for each individual patient, rather than using a “one-size-fits all” approach, which can a lot of collateral damage.

It’s a little like buying a dress. You can buy that dress off the rack and it will look good, but it may not fit you exactly. On the other hand, you could have a dress custom-made for you that’s going to fit perfectly.

Learn more about the services offered by the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute here.