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Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies Guide Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

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Vivian Creative
Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies Guide Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

A recent study reveals representative data about how next-generation sequencing (NGS) tests are practically used by oncologists in the United States to evaluate cancer patients and how these technologies guide cancer treatment recommendations. It indicates that 75.6% of oncologists would choose NGS tests to guide treatment decisions, 34.0% of which are applied for treatment guidance of patients with advanced refractory disease, 29.1% for clinical trial eligibility, and 17.5% for off-label use of FDA-approved drugs.

 

More and more data is showing that genetic analysis gives researchers a chance to apply knowledge in practice, especially in the early disease detection and diagnosis of genetic disorders. This significantly improves medical care for many because it can not only assess disease risk and inform disease-management strategies for individuals but also foreshadow possible risks for family members.

 

By creating faster, newer, and more affordable ways to understand genomic samples, next-generation sequencing technologies are progressively playing an important role in cancer research. NGS tests help enable early detection and interception of tumor development, meanwhile contributing to developing potential target therapies and building knowledge around tumor evolution.

 

Cancer Sequencing Technologies in Precision Oncology

 

Biomarker testing for cancer treatment is widely used to look for specific genes, proteins, and other substances that can provide information about cancer. These tumor markers can guide treatment decisions for a specific type of cancer and monitor cancer during and after treatment, which is known as precision oncology.

 

85% of the disease-causing variants in cancer are estimated to locate in coding and functional regions of the genome. Therefore, sequencing of the complete coding regions (exome) may indicate the causes of several rare, mostly monogenic, genetic disorders as well as predisposing variants in common diseases and cancers. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) is one of the major NGS technologies widely used in cancer sequencing. It exerts great influence in cancer research due to its ability to gather and bank an entire exome for analysis and future reference. Using whole-exome sequencing for biomarkers discovery, genetic mutation identification, and detecting other gene changes has helped researchers understand cancer growth drivers and expanded the knowledge base in cancer investigation.

 

Another important cancer sequencing technology is RNA sequencing. As the central dogma suggests, DNA contains the required information for making functional products—proteins. And RNA carries the necessary information to the ribosomes so that ribosomes can translate and convert the information into functional proteins, which is known as gene expression. Therefore, researchers can sequence the RNA in cells to understand the transcriptional regulation as well as to detect splice variants, fusions, and other mutations arising in the transcriptional process. These RNA modifications give researchers more information about understanding the complexity of cancer and other diseases.

 

Next-Generation Sequencing Market

 

Increasing demand for innovative technologies featured with both short and large genomic reads, faster speeds, and higher accuracy, is driving the growth of sequencing platforms. And the global next-generation cancer diagnostics market is expected to grow to $16.7 billion by 2025 according to a recent report. Biotech companies are scrambling to develop low-cost while efficient sequencing platforms, for example, the SuPrecision™ platform by Creative Biolabs. Generally speaking, the pivotal role of sequencing technologies in cancer research drives continuous advancements in the NGS market.


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