Research summary
This year alone, more than 1.3 million people around the world will be diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer-and some 900,000 will die from their disease. As Canada Research Chair in Molecular Stratification of Gynecologic Cancers, Dr. Jessica McAlpine aims to shed light on the genomic differences between tumours and determine how these differences impact the way a disease presents, how it responds to therapy, and what the outcomes may be for patients.
She and her research team are using molecular stratification to advance precision medicine for people with gynecologic cancer. They are categorizing cancers into biologically similar categories that will direct patient care and treatment. By employing this objective molecular categorization of tumours and algorithms, they hope to reduce disparities that persist in cancer care. They are also conducting a clinical trial to stratify care by molecular features, and will measure any improvements in clinical outcomes, health costs and patient quality of life.