Biomarker - A biomarker is a sign of disease or abnormal function that can be measured in your blood, tissue, or bodily fluid. In cancer, biomarkers are often used to help choose the best treatment for you: may be called a companion diagnostic test : some cancer treatments, including targeted therapies and immunotherapies, may only work for people whose cancers have certain biomarkers. These biomarkers can be proteins, genes, or gene mutations: e.g., Chromogranin A - a protein that may be raised in neuroendocrine cancers. Biomarker testing Biomarker testing is different from genetic testing. Biomarker testing is used, alongside other tests and scans, for people who have cancer to diagnose and monitor cancer. Genetic testing is using ‘biomarkers’ to find out if someone has inherited mutations that make them more likely to get cancer. Comprehensive genomic profiling A next-generation sequencing test that can detect multiple biomarkers at the same time. It can provide important information that can help guide decisions about treatments for patients across all cancer types. Gene A part of DNA that contains important information for the development of certain components in a cell (e.g. proteins). Genes are the instructions for making the proteins our bodies are built of – from the keratin in hair and fingernails to the antibody proteins that fight infection. ABBREVIATIONS &
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