We know that, just like people, each tumour is different. Making personalised therapeutic decisions based on the molecular alterations of each patient’s tumour is already a reality and has laid the foundations for Molecular Pathology.
A high percentage of tumours may have a potentially treatable genetic alteration. By combining the essential anatomopathological diagnosis with the molecular diagnosis of genetic alterations, it is possible to make a complete molecular annotation of the tumour and contribute to the individualised treatment of each patient.
In order to offer our patients precision oncological medicine, we aim to integrate the methodological approaches available for studying treatable genetic alterations in cancer patients in our new central laboratory in Madrid. Along with techniques widely used in Molecular Pathology, such as real-time PCR, in situ hybridisation techniques or immunohistochemistry, we are firmly committed to Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) as the new gold-standard for a more complete molecular diagnosis. NGS is a powerful tool that allows the simultaneous study of multiple genetic alterations, making it possible to identify, in a single step, alterations that are targets, not only of approved targeted drugs but also of drugs under clinical development.