The established chemotherapies have decades of data from research and ongoing trials that guide the oncologists in their decision making. The new, targeted medications don’t. Although we have seen good results in particular cancers, the same mutations in different cancers might not react as well. We are still learning. Cancer clinics and research centers are sharing data on an unprecedented and historical scale.  The hope is that we will find and prove uses for targeted treatments that are consistently more effective than previous therapies. But we aren’t there yet.

Since the primary goal of any cancer treatment is effectiveness, doctors use what has been proven as their first line of treatment. Some cancers have second and third lines of suggested therapies that are FDA approved. This is one of the reasons why the FDA, and therefore insurance companies, allow for genomic sequencing only after a patient reaches stage IV. That is when a cancer has spread from its primary site to another place in the body. This is not typically curable but we want to be able to add quality time and targeted medications are helping us do that for our patients. Again, the hope is that the data coming in on targeted therapies will eventually allow us to give them earlier in the course. In the mean time, we are excited to offer options to patients who are running out of them!