Welcome to our comprehensive guide on Oncology. In this article, we delve into Molecular Diagnostics in Modern Cancer Care, exploring the latest advancements and essential information.
Molecular diagnostics involves analyzing the biological markers in the genome and proteome—the individual's genetic code and how their cells express their genes as proteins. In cancer care, this means looking at the specific DNA mutations in a tumor.
They allow for a highly accurate diagnosis and can predict how aggressive a cancer might be. More importantly, they help oncologists identify which targeted therapies or immunotherapies are most likely to work for a specific patient.
A liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive test done on a sample of blood to look for cancer cells from a tumor that are circulating in the blood, or for pieces of DNA from tumor cells. It's a key tool in modern molecular diagnostics.