Genetics being used in new cancer treatments

Not long ago, a diagnosis of leukemia would lead to intolerable treatments and an uncertain future.

But advancements in the last decade are changing the outcomes for patients with at least one form of the disease, and researchers are hoping to apply what they’ve learned to other cancers.
Maria Hayes explains.

Dr Sandy Sehdev says the majority of new cancer treatments are not chemotherapy – they are targeted drugs that directly attack the underlying genetic mechanisms of disease.
The hope is to eventually be able to manage many forms of cancer the way that diseases like diabetes and emphysema are.