Episode 319: Is Personalized Medicine the Key to Better Quality of Life and Treatment?

Breast cancer treatment today is becoming more personalized and more precise. Precision medicine is rapidly expanding the options patients have for treating their cancer while helping them maintain a desired quality of life. A common mutation in breast cancer called PIK3CA affects more than 1 in 3 people with breast cancer, making it harder to treat. This mutation often leads to worse outcomes for these patients compared to others. Scientists are now developing new treatments that target this mutation specifically, aiming to reduce side effects and improve treatment outcomes, such as shrinking tumors or preventing disease progression. Today, we are speaking with Dr. Sarah Sammons of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to explore the exciting new possibilities brought by personalized medicine, including whether it can help slow disease progression and how it can it improve patients’ abilities to potentially live more active and productive lives while on treatment.