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Lymphoid cancers are often treated by a one-size-fits most approach.  However, research has shown that genomic sequencing can decode the genetic instructions in both normal and malignant cells. Armed with this genetic information, doctors would be able to design more tailored treatment plans for each individual.

In this project, Drs. Joseph Connors, Marco Marra and Randy Gascoyne will apply genetic sequencing to lymphoid cancers, the fourth most common type of cancer, to identify which subtypes of lymphoid cancers would benefit from specialized treatments and which subtypes can safely tolerate reduced treatment intensity while maintaining or improving existing outcome expectations.

The hope is that this research could decrease the morbidity and mortality rates of several lymphoid cancers and save lives every year in BC which could lead to cost savings in the healthcare system as well as dollars recovered from the ripple effect of disease impacts such as lost work days and family suffering.

This research will use British Columbia as a pilot project to show how to use genomic analysis to cost-effectively direct treatment in cancer patients in a way that can be readily applied elsewhere around the world.