Journal of Personalized Medicine

829 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Field of Genes: An Investigation of Sports-Related Genetic Testing

by Jennifer K. Wagner and Charmaine D. Royal

J. Pers. Med. 2012, 2(3), 119-137; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm2030119 - 12 Sep 2012

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 9863

Sports-related genetic testing is a sector of the diverse direct-to-consumer (DTC) industry that has not yet been examined thoroughly by academic scholars. A systematic search was used to identify companies in this sector and content analysis of online information was performed. More than a dozen companies were identified. Marketing practices observed generally did not target parents for child testing, and marketing images were mild compared to images used in popular media. Information was provided at a high reading level (industry-wide Flesh-Kincaid Grade Levels > 11). While ~75% of companies provide privacy policies and terms of service prior to purchase and ~40% provide scientific citations for their tests. Full article

323 KiB

Open AccessOpinion

Health 2050: The Realization of Personalized Medicine through Crowdsourcing, the Quantified Self, and the Participatory Biocitizen

by Melanie Swan

J. Pers. Med. 2012, 2(3), 93-118; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm2030093 - 12 Sep 2012

Cited by 302 | Viewed by 37235

Abstract

The concepts of health and health care are moving towards the notion of personalized preventive health maintenance and away from an exclusive focus on the cure of disease. This is against the backdrop of contemporary public health challenges that include increasing costs, worsening outcomes, ‘diabesity’ epidemics, and anticipated physician shortages. Personalized preventive medicine could be critical to solving public health challenges at their causal root. This paper sets forth a vision and plan for the realization of preventive medicine by 2050 and examines efforts already underway such as participatory health initiatives, the era of big health data, and qualitative shifts in mindset. Full article

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193 KiB

Open AccessReview

Challenges in Implementing Personalized Medicine for Lung Cancer within a National Healthcare System

by David E. Dawe and Peter M. Ellis

J. Pers. Med. 2012, 2(3), 77-92; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm2030077 - 10 Sep 2012

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 6385

Abstract

The traditional approach to the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) relied on the uniform use of cytotoxic chemotherapy. Over the last eight years, this paradigm of care has been shifting towards the use of molecularly targeted agents. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations have emerged as an important biomarker for these targeted agents and multiple studies have shown that tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) that inhibit EGFR are superior to traditional chemotherapy in patients possessing an EGFR mutation. Nationally funded health care systems face a number of challenges in implementing these targeted therapies, most related to the need to test for biomarkers that predict likelihood of benefiting from the drug. These obstacles include the challenge of getting a large enough tissue sample, workload of involved specialists, reliability of subtyping in NSCLC, differences in biomarker tests, and the disconnect between the funding of drugs and the related biomarker test. In order to improve patient outcomes, in a national healthcare system, there is a need for governments to accept the changing paradigm, invest in technology and build capacity for molecular testing to facilitate the implementation of improved patient care. Full article

647 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Clinical Utility of Gene Expression Profiling Data for Clinical Decision-Making Regarding Adjuvant Therapy in Early Stage, Node-Negative Breast Cancer: A Case Report

by Steven R. Schuster, Barbara A. Pockaj, Mary R. Bothe, Paru S. David and Donald W. Northfelt

J. Pers. Med. 2012, 2(3), 71-76; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm2030071 - 10 Sep 2012

Viewed by 6996

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women in the United States with the second highest incidence of cancer-related death following lung cancer. The decision-making process regarding adjuvant therapy is a time intensive dialogue between the patient and her oncologist. There are multiple tools that help individualize the treatment options for a patient. Population-based analysis with Adjuvant! Online and genomic profiling with Oncotype DX are two commonly used tools in patients with early stage, node-negative breast cancer. This case report illustrates a situation in which the population-based prognostic and predictive information differed dramatically from that obtained from genomic profiling and affected the patient’s decision. In light of this case, we discuss the benefits and limitations of these tools. Full article

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J. Pers. Med., Volume 2, Issue 3 (September 2012) – 4 articles , Pages 71-137

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