Pretesting Cervical Tumors Could Inform Treatment (IMAGE)

WashU Medicine

Pretesting Cervical Tumors Could Inform Treatment

Caption

Doctors at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that testing cervical tumors before treatment for vulnerability to chemotherapy predicts whether patients will do well or poorly with standard treatment. The study supports the future possibility of personalized medicine for cervical cancer, a tumor normally addressed with a one-size-fits-all approach. Before treatment, left, a cervical tumor is visible (white arrow) on a PET/CT scan. After successful treatment, right, the tumor is no longer visible. For reasons that are not well understood, some patients' tumors do not respond to therapy. Testing the tumor before treatment for vulnerability to chemotherapy predicts which patients will do well or poorly with standard treatment.

Credit

Julie K. Schwarz, MD, PhD

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