Cancer Treatments Are Wrong For One-Third Of Americans

The way cancer treatments are determined could change for the better, with doctors focusing on mapping the entire genome of a patient's specific cancer.

"Right now in the United States... about a third of patients are getting the wrong treatment. Categorizing cancers by their anatomical location really makes no sense medically," Dr. Sanjay Gupta said on "CBS This Morning." "It should be by their genetic mutations."

This move toward personalized cancer treatment could add 10 years to a person's life, and may be available in five to 10 years, according to "CBS This Morning." Focusing on the patient's cancer genome could lead to better cancer treatments as well, though a 2012 study pointed out that a tumor's mutations can happen on different locations, affecting its biology in innumerable ways and making targeted treatment for one specific patient hard to come by.

Gupta also spoke about promising developments in early-stage dementia. To hear more, watch the video above.

Earlier on Huff/Post50:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/cancer-treatments-wrong-genetic-mutations_n_2617600.html

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