Most genetic tests used to help physicians choose the best treatments for cancer patients examine a small number of genes. This may not be the case for long. The rapid advances in DNA sequencing technology have driven the cost down from millions of dollars to thousands of dollars per genome. A small pilot study performed by researchers from Michigan, Texas and India has shown that it is feasible to get whole genome sequencing performed on cancer patients in a timeframe (about a month) and at a cost (thousands of dollars) that makes it reasonable to pursue further. The end result is that physicians can have information about every gene in a patient. The research showed that sequencing and gene activity results are very likely to be of great benefit to cancer patients.
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