New Genetic Testing May Aid in Cancer Treatment

The Rapid Heme Panel, a new gene screening developed by a collaborative team from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, may prove a game-changer in cancer treatment, experts say.

The test scans for 95 genes frequently subject to mutations in blood cancers, including leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, and myeloproliferative disorders.

The test, already in use at Dana Farber and Brigham, uses a powerful DNA sequencing technology to assist physicians in a variety of ways. In a medical landscape  where pharmaceutical companies continue to develop drugs that target specific genes and genetic susceptibilities, the Rapid Heme Panel offers doctors a new means to navigate the maze of diagnoses and treatment protocols, according to a press release published in late October by Brigham.

According to a post from the Dana Farber Twitter account earlier in November, the test “provides unprecedented information to aid treatment decisions.”

David P. Steensma, an associate professor at the Medical School and a physician at Dana Farber, praised the development. According to Steensma, the Rapid Heme Panel can help facilitate diagnoses of ambiguous cases. The test can also help a physician plan a course of care management for a patient, as well as identify if a patient is eligible for an experimental treatment protocol that targets specific genes.

“Eventually the goal for leukemia and for all cancers is to match the gene mutation driving the tumor to a narrowly targeted therapy in each individual case, minimizing side effects and maximizing effectiveness,” Steensma wrote in an email to The Crimson.

Steensma added that the new test is faster, less expensive, and less burdensome than the traditional method.

Before the Rapid Heme Panel, blood tests required outside laboratory screening and multiple tests, and the results could take upwards of weeks to return. With the Rapid Heme Panel, results can be received within five business days.

According to Steensma, the Rapid Heme Panel has been used for a few hundred patients, and demand is growing.

Dana Farber and the Brigham are currently the only two sites to offer the test.