Precision Oncology-Based Targeting of Signaling Pathways Toward a Holistic Approach to Cancer Therapeutics

The mutational changes occurring in the regulatory genes responsible for the maintenance of optimal cell growth and proliferation gradually lead to cancer progression and metastasis. Furthermore, patients with the same cancer types often respond differently to different cancer therapies, indicating the need for a patient-specific treatment regimen for the disease. Precision oncology is the new field of cancer research that relies on genetic profiling of individual tumors to identify targetable alterations for custom-tailored personalized treatment of the disease. It is to rely upon the genomic study of cancer cells to get a clear picture of the prognosis and pathways involved in disease progression and to look for the means to selectively target them for a cure. This article intends to briefly explain the foundations and frontiers of precision oncology in the context of technological advances being made in this direction to assess its scope and importance in the realization of a proper cure for cancer.

负责维持细胞最佳生长与增殖状态的调控基因所发生的突变，会逐步推动癌症的进展与转移。此外，即便罹患同一癌症类型的患者，对不同癌症疗法的应答也往往存在显著差异，这凸显了为该疾病制定个体化治疗方案的迫切需求。精准肿瘤学（Precision Oncology）作为新兴的癌症研究领域，依托对个体肿瘤的基因谱分析，识别可靶向的基因组变异，进而为患者定制个体化的治疗方案。该领域通过对癌细胞开展基因组学研究，以清晰阐明疾病进展相关的预后特征与信号通路，并探寻选择性靶向这些靶点以实现癌症治愈的可行手段。本文旨在结合该领域当前的技术进展，简要阐释精准肿瘤学的基础内涵与前沿方向，进而评估其在实现癌症根治过程中的应用范畴与核心价值。