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One of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment is determining the right course of treatment
for each patient.
But there is good news on this front.
Researchers in Korea have found a way to develop an exact course of tailor-made treatment for
patients with brain cancer.
Sohn Jung-in reports. A patient surnamed Byeon was diagnosed with stage 3 gastric cancer
two months ago.
But one of the most difficult things for him to deal with was the fact he didn't know what
to expect.
Doctors said the surgery went well but Byeon is still anxious about whether his course
of treatment will work or if the cancer will come back.
"Patients can only rely on doctors. After surgery, the only thing we can do is follow
their instructions. I mean, we don't know the exact treatment."
Until now, a patient's course of treatment was determined based on their genes.
However, a patient could also waste money and time if they were not correctly diagnosed.
But local researchers from 3 university hospitals have developed a new form of treatment for
brain cancer which is likely to eliminate some of the uncertainties for patients in
the future.
Researchers analyzed the movement of patients' intracellular proteins and used the information
to set a course of treatment for each individual.
"What patients most want to know is how long they can survive, or what kind of treatment
is best for them. That was our main concern and we've finally produced results with a
high rate of accuracy."
The discovery was featured in the U. S. scientific journal Genome Research.
Thus far, the treatment method has only been developed for brain tumors, but the researchers
expect to develop other techniques for other kinds of cancer soon.
Sohn Jung-in, Arirang News.