Chemotherapy Sensitivity Testing

In order to first diagnose and treat a patient's cancer, Chemotherapy Sensitivity Testing is performed to identify the optimal protocol and modalities to adopt for each individual patient. Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth and proliferation. Because cancer develops when genes regulating cell growth and differentiation undergo certain aberrant alterations, this testing is essential to customize the appropriate treatment plan for each patient.

ICT may use one or all the following tests:

1. Evidence-based molecular profiling is a comprehensive tumor biomarker analysis that identifies unique biomarkers (expressed genes and proteins) found in (FFPE) formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples. Once the molecular profile is complete, extensive clinical literature is reviewed to match appropriate therapies to the existing patient specific biomarkers. The most potentially effective chemotherapeutic treatment options within the standard of care are thus identified, which enables highly individualized cancer therapy.
2. Whole cell cytometric profiling is a process whereby living cancer cells obtained from each patient (via live tissue samples) actually are exposed to the broadest possible range of candidate chemotherapy drugs and the true cell killing ability of each drug, that of which is precisely measured in real-time and in the presence of each patient's own, living cancer cells. In addition, cytometric profiling clearly identifies the widely varying difference in the susceptibility of each patient's cancer cells to different anti-cancer drugs within the same class of drugs.

Oncologists often see differences in patient response to different drugs which are thought to work via the same general mechanism. Furthermore, this process measures the combined effect of all cellular gene and protein interactions occurring within the cancer cell. Millions of these are known to occur but most are not yet identified or fully-understood.

Finally, cytometric profiling also has the proven ability to identify synergy which frequently occurs in rationally-selected drug combinations. Drugs which are only moderately active as single agents, sometimes becoming extremely effective when combined with certain other agents. Cytometric profiling can pinpoint these drug combinations.

To learn if ICT's cancer treatment services are appropriate for you or to arrange an appointment, please call (561) 886-0976.