Total Cancer Care
The Cancer Program of Our Lady of the Lake and Mary Bird Perkins and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute have partnered to perform state-of-the-art cancer research called “Total Cancer Care™.” By combining research efforts, we are creating a new frontier in cancer research that will potentially be of great importance for all cancer patients.
Did you know that just as every individual has a different fingerprint, every tumor is unique as well? And while we know cancer can be classified by its site of origin (lung, breast, colon, prostate), there are many different types of each of these cancers. Currently, we treat most cancer patients with a standard protocol but in reality, only a few patients may benefit from that specific drug. We now know that individual patients with the same kind of cancer don’t always respond to standard treatment for that cancer in the same way.
Doctors at Our Lady of the Lake, Mary Bird Perkins and Moffitt Cancer Center would like to change that.
Only recently has technology advanced such that we can now test each tumor for approximately 30,000 genes. These genes provide a “molecular fingerprint” that is unique for each tumor, just like the lines on your fingertips uniquely identify you. And by studying that molecular fingerprint, scientists will eventually develop new drug therapies that are personalized for each individual. You have the opportunity to take part in this research project, which will occur across the entire country and beyond.
Addition resources for learning more:
Read our brochure
View Total Cancer Care - Video 1
View Total Cancer Care - Video 2