Vanderbilt Breast Center

Personalized Cancer Therapy is now testing breast cancers for mutations in the PI3 kinase pathway. These are the most common genetic alterations in breast cancer that are known by today’s investigators. Diagnostic tests are performed and will determine the genes in the PI3 kinase pathway that are abnormal in your tumor. Standard tests look at one gene at a time, but these diagnostic tests examine multiple genes at once. The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center is one of the only centers in the region that routinely test for these mutations in breast tumors.

How will the test results be used?

With your consent, the test results will be added to your electronic medical record, and your doctors may use the information to make treatment decisions. Patients whose tumors have mutations in the PI3 kinase pathway that are identified by Personalized Cancer Therapy might be eligible for clinical trials with PI3 kinase inhibitors at Vanderbilt, which will also include the standard of care required for you.

Am I eligible for this test?

If you are diagnosed with breast cancer or already have a diagnosis of breast cancer, tumor genetic testing will be offered as part of your care.

How might results of the test affect my care?

If the test results become part of your medical record, the information may help you and your doctor select the treatment that would be best for you. For example, some mutations may indicate that a drug will be particularly effective. Other mutations may indicate your tumor is resistant to certain treatments. Your options may also include a new treatment with a PI3K inhibitor being studied in a clinical trial. Finally, it is possible that your tumor is found to have no mutations. In all cases, this information can help inform treatment decisions.