The future is coming-1: Drug approval againts a cancer causing mutation.

At the present time, to determine the treatment for any cancer, we identify the organ of origin, identify the nature of the cell, and in some cancers, see if targetable mutations are present for treatment. Otherwise, treatment is some combination of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and hormones. We use the hammer more than a brush.

Now, in 2017, we have a drug which has been approved for a mutation, not an organ or cell of origin. It’s not a picnic to use, and can have serious side effects and still has to be studied for its efficacy in different cancers, but the paradigm is changing.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1709968?query=featured_hematology-oncology