VANCOUVER - Researchers at the B.C. Cancer Agency say they're working on a new technique that may one day provide custom-made treatments for people with rare cancers.
The agency is experimenting with gene sequencing that separates the genes causing a specific cancer from normal, healthy genes to find out how the bad genes actually work to create tumours.
Dr. Joseph Connors of the Cancer Agency says understanding the differences has provided new treatment options that stabilized a rare and aggressive cancer, although he cautions the work is still in its preliminary stages.
Dr. Steven Jones, associate director of the Genome Sciences Centre says having a complete map of the molecular changes within a tumour is a world first in gene sequencing technology.
He says this could lead to personalized cancer treatment in which therapies will be tailored precisely to the genetic make-up of the tumour in a specific patient.
The B.C. Cancer Agency research, which focused on a rare tumour of the tongue, was published Monday in the journal Genome Biology.
