Precision cancer medicine — an approach in which doctors treat a tumor based on its genetic profile, rather than where it is — has benefited a growing number of adults with cancer. It’s not yet a standard approach in pediatric oncology, but the times may be a-changing.

Our sister blog Vector reports on the results of the Individualized CAncer Therapy (iCat) trial, a four-center study led by Katherine Janeway, MD, PhD, clinical director of the Solid Tumor Center at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, that investigated the feasibility of clinical sequencing and precision medicine in patients with relapsed or refractory pediatric solid tumors. In 43 out of the study’s 100 participants, the iCat investigators made genetic findings suggesting a new treatment approach, a new diagnosis and/or a genetic predisposition to cancer.

The study joins a growing body of evidence in favor of incorporating sequencing into pediatric oncology care, at least among children with relapsed tumors.

“There’s a lot more going on than any one study would suggest,” Janeway says. “Every study, every paper is all part of one big story about bringing precision medicine to children with cancers.”

Read more about the iCat study on Vector. And visit the Thriving blog to read about a young patient who is now a brain tumor survivor thanks to precision cancer medicine.