Precision Medicine Conference (Highlights)

I just read the “Precision Medicine Conference” highlights posted on the National Brain Tumor Society website: http://blog.braintumor.org/precision-medicine-conference-highlights/  and found myself hopeful, if confused.

I’m hopeful because the highlights sound surprisingly upbeat, positive and, well, optimistic. Why? Because (as best I can tell) we are starting to really leverage our understanding of the human genome as it relates to more effectively treating brain tumors.

Dr. Jennifer Helfer, PhD, explains this much more clearly in her conference recap by stating that  “Precision medicine, also referred to as personalized or individualized medicine, is defined on Wikipedia as ‘a medical model that proposes the customization of healthcare—with medical decisions, practices, and/or products being tailored to the individual patient.’"

Part of this introductory statement is still confusing to me – why is the idea of “medical decisions, practices and/or products being tailored to the individual patient” a radical/newsworthy idea? Haven’t we always been doing that? If not, why not?

As best I can tell, some of this stems from the importance of an individual  victim's genetics in addition to the tumor's classification, e.g. glioblastoma. Being able to research this linkage, according to Dr. Jeffrey Flier, Dean of the Harvard Medical School, is being led - somewhat strangely - by patients  who are “collecting and sharing their own medical information via sites like 23andMe" - https://www.23andme.com/

This information appears to give medical professionals better direction on how to treat patients’ individual and unique brain tumors. The challenge, it appears, is that more doctors need to become more familiar with this information in order to administer and interpret this genetic information.

If you do nothing else, watch this video entitled “Discovering the PD-1 Checkpoint: Winners of the 2014 William B. Coley Award for Tumor Immunology” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B532URzuJOU

A Meningioma Webinar Invitation from the ABTA and Dr. Johnson

An invitation from the ABTA to this Thursday, August 22^nd webinar popped into my in-box this morning and I thought you should know about it.

I’ve been to a number of ABTA presentations like this and found the following to be true:

1. The presenters are really good – patient, articulate and, in general, brainiacs (I say that in only the most positive way possible).
2. The topics are hugely relevant (of course, I’m a meningioma survivor so that makes me a bit biased)
3. The webinar format is perfect. Family, friends, caregivers and victims can all watch from the comfort of their own homes and don’t have to change into anything resembling “business casual.” You can also ask questions (via a “chat” box) without everybody seeing in the room giving you a strange look.

If for some strange reason you’re reading this blog and don’t know what a meningioma brain tumor is, here’s a short description from the webinar posting: ”Meningiomas account for about 34% of all primary brain tumors. They are most likely to be diagnosed in adults older than 60 years of age, and the incidence appears to increase with age. Meningiomas are rarely found in children, and occur about twice as often in women than men. This webinar will provide an update in the ‘watch and wait’* approach, treatment and care of people navigating a Meningioma tumor. The latest information regarding the genetics of meningiomas and how this may affect treatment will also be discussed.”

The presenter will be Mark D. Johnson, MD, Harvard Medical School; Brigham & Women's Hospital. Dr. Johnson specializes in the neurosurgical management of brain tumors & directs an NIH-funded research laboratory focused on the genomics, proteomics and cell biology of meningiomas and gliomas. (See, I told you he would be a brainiac). 

You can register @ https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/689032614

*No, “Watch and wait” is not a euphemism for “do nothing.”

**If you think the idea of “Watch and Wait” doesn’t drive people nuts, just read the following series of postings on Inspire.com: http://www.inspire.com/groups/american-brain-tumor-association/discussion/is-wait-and-see-if-it-grows-normal-path-for-tumors/