Personalized medicine: CCO's vision, accomplishments and future plans

Jennifer Guo; Suzanne Kamel-Reid; Michael Rutherford; Jennifer Hart; Saul Melamed; Aaron Pollett

doi:10.12927/hcq.2014.24008

Personalized medicine: CCO's vision, accomplishments and future plans

Healthc Q. 2015:17 Spec No:41-3. doi: 10.12927/hcq.2014.24008.

Authors

Jennifer Guo¹, Suzanne Kamel-Reid², Michael Rutherford³, Jennifer Hart⁴, Saul Melamed⁵, Aaron Pollett⁶

Affiliations

¹ Policy Research Analyst, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Program at Cancer Care Ontario.
² Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto; Affiliate Scientist, The Ontario Cancer Institute; Head, Clinical Laboratory Genetics; and Director, Molecular Diagnostics, The University Health Network. She is Co-Chair of the Cancer Care Ontario Molecular Oncology Advisory Committee, a member of the Ontario Personalized Medicine Network, a member of the Ontario Ministry of Health Genetics Testing Advisory Committee and a member of the Ontario Genetics Secretariat Executive.
³ Staff Pathologist and Director of the molecular diagnostics laboratory at Health Sciences North and Assistant Professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
⁴ Manager, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Program at Cancer Care Ontario. Prior to joining CCO, Jennifer's career focused on health-service integration, tobacco control and education.
⁵ Director, Clinical Programs - Diagnosis and Treatment at Cancer Care Ontario.
⁶ Provincial Head, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Program at Cancer Care Ontario. He is an Anatomic Pathologist and Co-Director of the Division of Diagnostic Medical Genetics at Mount Sinai Hospital and an Associate Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto.

PMID: 25562133
DOI: 10.12927/hcq.2014.24008

Abstract

Personalized medicine is a rapidly expanding field, with the potential to improve patient care. Its benefits include increasing efficiency in cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment through early detection, targeted therapy and identifying individuals with an underlying genetic risk for cancer or adverse outcomes. Through the work of Cancer Care Ontario (CCO)'s Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Program, a number of initiatives have been undertaken to support developments in personalized medicine. In keeping with the momentum of recent accomplishments, CCO has led the formation of the Personalized Medicine Steering Committee to develop a comprehensive provincial genetics strategy for the future of cancer care.

MeSH terms

Forecasting
Humans
Medical Oncology / methods
Medical Oncology / organization & administration*
Medical Oncology / standards
Medical Oncology / trends
Neoplasms / therapy
Ontario
Precision Medicine / methods*
Precision Medicine / standards
Precision Medicine / trends
Quality Improvement