Personalized Medicine in Oncology

Personalized medicine means prescribing the right medicine to the right patient in the right dose at the right time.

The “one fits all” approach is increasingly proving to be ineffective. It is estimated that, for example, untargeted cancer therapy is not effective in up to 75% of cases because until recently it was not possible to predict which patients would really benefit from the therapy. Not all patients need “everything” – today, it is possible to avoid untargeted chemotherapy for a large proportion of patients – often young ones too. By tailoring therapeutic approaches and new therapy methods side effects of cancer treatments can be significantly reduced.

With the help of biomarkers (biological features of the blood and tissue), the prognosis for individual patients in oncological diseases can be assessed; molecular biological and genetic tests can be used to further differentiate and predict the likelihood that a patient will benefit from a particular therapy. Different drugs have different effects depending on the biological mechanism. This means that these predictive biomarkers allow us to carry out targeted therapies.

The treatment successes that are possible today can only be achieved through close cooperation between the expertise of all disciplines involved. The weekly meetings of all patients in interdisciplinary “tumor boards” have been proven to lead to better treatment results. Top specialists from all disciplines work together to develop the best solutions for each individual patient.

Due to new diagnostic methods, it is also possible in surgery to carry out treatments in an even more individualized manner, e.g. fertility-preserving operations in gynecology, minimally invasive therapies and risk-adjusted therapies, in order to have the least radical approach possible and to achieve a better result in the long term.

When patients receive a cancer diagnosis, they want the certainty that the proposed therapy is the right one for them. In order for the patient to make an informed decision about their treatment, it is advisable to obtain a second opinion from a team of experts. At the PremiQaMed Cancer Center Vienna, teams of experts (mainly professors from the University Hospital of Vienna) offer a review of the diagnosis and a treatment recommendation based on the latest medical findings - both on site and at a distance.

Austria is one of the countries in the world with the best chances of successfully treating cancer. Be it for a second opinion and the development of a therapy plan, or for treatment in Vienna - the expert teams at the PremiQaMed Cancer Center Vienna offer each patient an individualized solution based on the latest research and are happy to provide support through therapy and aftercare.

If you have questions or you would like to get an appointment, please contact us!

E-mail: international@mavie-med.at