Personalized Cancer Treatment: Predicting Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Response Using Fine Needle Aspirates

Abstract

Cancer is a disease that is caused by an uncontrolled proliferation of cells. It has been reported1 that in 2012, 14 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed, with 8.2 million cancer deaths worldwide. Additionally, evidence indicates that the number of newly diagnosed cancer patients per year will rise to 22 million within the next twenty years. In 2010, 125 billion dollars was spent in academic and medical oncology in the United States. Moreover, it is believed that in 2016, there will be 1,685,210 new diagnoses of cancer, with 595,690 deaths, inside the U.S. It is expected that in 2016, there will be 249,260 newly diagnosed patients with invasive breast cancer, with more than 61,000 diagnoses of in situ breast cancer. In this research project, I will work to develop a more effective method of predicting chemotherapy treatment response, to ensure that a patient receives the most optimal treatment option available.