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Targeted cancer treatment is a type of therapy that focuses on attacking only cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, which targets all rapidly dividing cells, targeted therapies limit or stop the growth of cancer cells.
Your cancer journey is as unique as you are, so AHN tailors your treatment plan to your specific needs. Using cutting-edge techniques like genomics, AHN is at the forefront of precision cancer treatments to inform personalized cancer treatment.
By choosing AHN, you can expect:
AHN Precision Cancer Medicine and Genomics Services is made up of a team of molecular scientists and researchers who have a singular goal: detect tumors earlier and more accurately so treatment can be more precise to the individual.
This means you receive results quicker and with more accuracy than ever before. With that speed, genomics cancer treatment happens sooner and is specific to your unique needs.
The AHN Lung Cancer Precision Medicine and Developmental Therapeutics works on aggressive, late-stage cancers, also known as metastatic or stage IV lung cancer cases. Genomics cancer treatment is essential in managing metastatic or stage IV lung cancer, as it has one of the highest rates of genetic mutations, making comprehensive genomic analysis critically important. Quick, accurate, and personalized treatment is key, and that’s where comprehensive genomics analysis is critical. Patients with stage IV lung cancer often have genetic variations that can be targeted with therapies that have proven to be more effective than conventional treatments alone.
For patients battling lung cancer, accuracy, time, and care can mean all the difference.
Genomic profiling is a comprehensive analysis of an individual's genome, the complete set of their DNA. It involves examining the DNA sequence, gene expression, and other genetic alterations that can provide valuable insights into a person's health, including the presence and characteristics of cancer.
Under the leadership of William LaFramboise, PhD, chief genomics technology officer, our pioneering clinical Comprehensive Genomic Profiling (CGP) program performs extensive DNA and RNA sequencing across 523 genes using our in-house AHN Cancer Panel. This allows us to detect the clinically relevant genomic alterations that underlie a patient's lung cancer and target their treatment to those genomic errors. This means patients' treatment plans can be quickly changed or adjusted to meet their needs.
The Genomics and Precision Medicine initiative at AHN provides the unique opportunity for research and clinical testing efforts to work together to provide robust data that can be translated to the patient setting. Information moves more quickly between the lab and clinic, so patients can experience greater flexibility and precision in their treatment plan.
If you need genomics testing for a thoracic cancer, your clinician will order the test. Once it's received, your sample will be taken and run through an extensive testing process. Your clinician will receive the results and review. AHN clinicians are trained to interpret these reports to ensure accuracy and that treatment plans are precise to your needs.
Because we use precision targeted therapies for lung cancer, your care team may adjust your treatment plan from your initial diagnosis plan based on your genomic results. Your targeted therapy for lung cancer may include chemotherapy, surgery, or immunotherapy.
Precision cancer treatment for lung cancer is a revolutionary approach that focuses on the unique characteristics of each patient's tumor. This personalized approach aims to maximize treatment effectiveness while minimizing side effects. AHN uses precision cancer treatments that employ minimally invasive procedures and custom approaches.
We perform extensive DNA and RNA sequencing across 523 genes using our in-house AHN Cancer Panel. This allows us to detect all clinically relevant genomic alterations that could be impacting a patient's lung cancer and response to treatment. This means patients' treatment plans can be quickly changed or adjusted to meet their needs.
Our multidisciplinary team, made up of clinical and research backgrounds, is wholly invested in developing the most accurate genomic tests available so cancer can be detected faster and earlier, and so that treatment can be more targeted to the patient.
William LaFramboise, BA, PhD
Molecular Biology
Xuemei Wu, MD, PhD
Clinical Molecular Pathology
Patti Petrosko, BS, MS, MB
Molecular Biology
Phillip Gallo, BS, PhD
Molecular Biology
Megan Blauvelt, BS, MB
Molecular Biology
Avani Ahuja, BS, MS, MB
Medical Genetics
Jasmyne Lam, BS, MT
Medical Technology
Robin Cebula, BS, MT
Medical Technology
Louis Gil, BS
Computer Science Fellow: NIAID
If you want to be tested for or have been diagnosed with cancer, we're here to help. Your medical team can send your results to our team for testing.
Clinical trials are studies that try to answer questions about new ways to treat cancer with medications, radiation, or surgical techniques. Previous trials have shown how new methods of treatment improve survival and quality of life, and reduce the risk of cancer returning.
You participate in a clinical trial only if you volunteer to do so and meet criteria for inclusion in the study. You can stop participating in a trial at any time.
The plan for the trial, called a protocol, explains what the trial will do and how the study will be done. Based on the questions the research is trying to answer, each clinical trial protocol outlines specific criteria necessary to be eligible to join the trial.
Common criteria for entering a trial are:
Federal rules help ensure that clinical trials are run in an ethical manner, with your rights and safety protected. It's to ensure that you're not put at increased risk by participating in the trial, and that the results of the study are accurate and meaningful.
Conducting clinical trials helps us contribute to Cancer Moonshot — an initiative created by President Joe Biden and the White House.
The goal is to prevent more than 4 million cancer deaths by 2047 and improve the experience for people affected by cancer. We’re doing our part to join this fight by collaborating with more than 60 private companies, patient groups, academic institutions, and nonprofits.
If you would like to participate in a clinical trial and help our innovative team discover groundbreaking cancer solutions, ask your doctor if you're eligible to participate in one. See which clinical trials are currently active and open for participation.
Precision Cancer Medicine and Genomics Services are only available for those using AHN services.
There are three ways for medical professionals, who are not a part of Allegheny Health Network, to refer their patients to an AHN Cancer Institute specialist and request their first appointment. You can:
For more information about referring your patient to an AHN specialist, read the Independent Physician Referral FAQs.
After referring your patient to an AHN specialist, use the EpicCare Link platform to collaborate with their AHN specialist, view your patient's test results, treatment plan, and progress.
Log in to your EpicCare Link account now.
If you are new to EpicCare Link, or need to request your own EpicCare Link account, read: EpicCare Link for Patient Follow-up, for user instructions and new account request forms.
If you can't access your patient's AHN test results through the EpicCare Link platform, your patient will need to complete and submit the correct AHN Medical Records Release form based on their state of residency. Support your patient's request by downloading the correct medical records release form for them:
EpicCare® is a registered trademark of Epic Systems Corporation and used with permission.
EpicCare® Link™ is a trademark of Epic Systems Corporation and used with permission.
Learn more about our appointment options, second opinions, locations, referrals, and resources that are at your disposal.