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Inova Schar Cancer Institute
Molecules

A New Level of Patient-Centered Care
 Inova Molecular Tumor Board

Inova Molecular Tumor Board was formed to help match people dealing with rare or recurring advanced cancers with personalized treatment designed to treat the characteristics of their specific cancer.

Meeting personally with the team of physicians, geneticists and other clinicians that make up the board, eligible patients and their family receive recommendations for treatment based on the genetic makeup of the patient's tumor.

Read Frequently Asked Questions

A New Level of Patient-Centered Care

Cancer treatment is moving beyond the administration of chemotherapy drugs chosen to treat cancer in a specific part of the body – the breast or the colon, for example. Now the genetic characteristics of a tumor can be analyzed to learn more about its DNA. Then treatment recommendations such as a new medication or admission into a clinical trial are made on the basis of those findings. Generally these treatment options are not readily accessible to other physicians. The treatments hold the promise of targeting and killing cancer cells within the tumor while minimizing side effects and damage to normal cells.

Patient participation in the treatment decision-making process is key to Inova Molecular Tumor Board's goal of patient-focused care. This philosophy is unique among tumor boards nation wide. We feel strongly that the patient and family should be present at the tumor board meeting and included in the discussion. Other tumor boards usually meet independently and hand down a recommendation. Our belief is that by interacting together, the patient and family gain a better understanding of possible options and benefit greatly from the personalized experience.   

Our Team of Experts

Members of the Inova Molecular Tumor Board are affiliated with Inova Schar Cancer Institute or Inova Translational Medicine Institute, both at the forefront of genomics and cancer research. These oncologists, geneticists, biochemists and clinicians are experts in their field. They share a commitment to patient-centered care, which is the hallmark of the Inova Molecular Tumor Board. 

Meet the Team

Frequently Asked Questions: Inova Molecular Tumor Board

Once you have been invited to participate with the Inova Molecular Tumor Board, a sample of your tumor is taken for genetic testing. Once the findings are available, the board meets to discuss them and reach a consensus on a personalized treatment for you.

You and your family members are invited to meet with the panel when your case is discussed. This allows physicians, scientists and you the opportunity to work together to find an excellent treatment.

A moderator presents a brief overview of your medical history, including the type of cancer you have and prior treatments, followed by the presentation of the results of the molecular analysis of your tumor. The panel, made up of geneticists, biochemists and clinicians, asks questions and makes suggestions and comments. Some of the participants attend in person while others call in.

At the end of the meeting, recommendations are made. Our administrative team will help implement the recommendations by assisting you in enrolling in a clinical trial (inside or outside of Inova), or by obtaining a targeted therapy from a previously held clinical trial. Clinical trials and the new medications that result from them are generally the newest treatment options available and are not yet readily available to physicians in practice.  

While most of your questions can be answered after the meeting by your clinician, you are welcome to ask questions or add comments that you feel are important to the conversation. Please note that the discussion is about your molecular results and not about symptom management or other questions that are more appropriate for your doctor.

Cancer is a very complex process, and many factors drive its growth. The cells in our body normally divide and stop dividing in an orderly process, but this process is disrupted by cancer.

Each cell in our body has 23 pairs of chromosomes. These chromosomes consist of DNA, which makes us who we are. Often we can find a DNA mutation that is known to disrupt the normal process of cell division and cause or promote cancer. These DNA mutations are examples of the molecular characteristics of a cancer. Sometimes they are inherited and are found in all of one's cells. But more frequently they are "somatic" mutations that are not inherited.

Somatic mutations occur during cell division during one's lifetime and are only seen in cancer cells in your body. These make excellent targets for cancer therapy.

DNA sequencing is a process by which genes known to cause cancer are analyzed in tumor cells. A sample of the tumor is sent to our lab at Inova Translational Medicine Institute (ITMI) or an outside company. DNA will be extracted and then analyzed.

Sometimes no mutations are found, meaning the cancer may be driven by a mutation that has not yet been discovered. More often there will be at least one mutation seen.

Today we have the ability to analyze tumor DNA fairly quickly. That allows researchers and scientists in the field to more quickly design new medicines that target the characteristics of the tumor that promote growth.

DNA sequencing is the most widely available means of molecular analysis of tumors. It is currently the primary tool used by Inova Molecular Tumor Board. However there are numerous other kinds of analysis in development. Among others, these types of analysis include RNA analysis, the measurement of proteins relevant to cancer, known as proteomics, and phosphoprotein assays that interrogate intracellular pathways that lead to cancer progression.