What you need to know
- Patients at John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center now have access to state-of-the-art genomic profiling through a newly established on-site lab called Key Genomics.
- The laboratory is the result of a collaboration between Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) and Genomic Testing Cooperative (GTC) in Irvine, CA. It will serve physicians within Regional Cancer Care Associates.
- GTC has developed highly validated tests for DNA, as well as RNA profiling. These tests are transferred and validated at Key Genomics Laboratory and will be performed in real-time at John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center. This will help physicians choose better, refined and personalized therapy for JTCC cancer patients.
As the premier cancer program in New Jersey, John Theurer Cancer Center will perform molecular profiling of all solid tumors or hematologic cancers, where it can help treatment decisions.
Details on Genomic Profiling
DNA is the blueprint for all genetic information in the body; RNA converts genetic information from DNA to build proteins. Often in cancer, mutations in genes lead to defective proteins that can trigger cancer development, cause cancers to become resistant to treatment, or make them spread further. Profiling both DNA and RNA in a patient with cancer can provide more information than DNA testing alone regarding the cancer origin, biology, and clinical behavior as well as the response of the immune system of the patient to the cancer.
The testing will include 434 genes for DNA and more than 1400 genes for RNA for solid tumors and 177 genes for DNA and over 1400 genes for RNA for hematologic tumors. Liquid biopsy testing includes 275 genes.
More than 35,000 cancer patients are treated annually at John Theurer Cancer Center. The center participates in more than 350 ongoing clinical trials.