Molecular Oncology

Cancers with the same origins, histopathologic diagnoses, and clinical stages can exhibit significant genetic variations and differences in gene expression patterns. Researchers have identified several cancer driver genes whose functional abnormalities contribute to cancer formation and cancer cell survival. Anticancer agents targeting some of these cancer drivers have been approved for treating cancers with specific genetic alterations, known as biomarkers. Treatment based on genetic changes within cancer cells is referred to as precision therapy, targeted therapy, or personalized therapy. Precision therapy is effective for a subset of patients whose cancer cells possess particular molecular changes or biomarkers. Therefore, molecular tests to determine if cancer cells have actionable molecular changes by precision therapy are crucial for the successful application of these therapies.

Our laboratory offers next-generation sequencing and PCR-based assays to identify actionable molecular alterations in patients' cancer tissues or their blood or urine samples.