Genomic Medicine in Central Nervous System Tumors

Abstract

There are two main applications of genomic medicine with respect to CNS tumors: awareness and prevention of hereditary and/or familial tumors, and personalized medicine for sporadic tumors in individuals. We need to understand the difference between these two medicinal approaches and the status of genomic medicine in this lecture note.

Firstly, this lecture will show the status of hereditary and familial tumors. The lecture will also explain what medicine has to offer for these tumors and the dangers of taking genetic tests blindly. Next, we will discuss personalized medicine. Recent advances in molecular biology have significantly impacted clinical practice. Molecular biological analysis methods are necessary for the classification of tumors, especially for central nervous system (CNS) tumors. The classification of a tumor indicates its prognosis and grade. The fact that this technology is being used suggests that the clues to treatment will depend on molecular biological properties. However, the treatment of CNS tumors has not progressed compared to changes in diagnostic technique. There are some issues that need to be overcome to develop new therapeutics for CNS tumors, such as the blood-brain barrier and the rarity of epidemiology for CNS tumors. Finally, we will discuss how we are working to overcome this challenge.