Changing paradigm of cancer therapy: precision medicine by next-generation sequencing

Precision medicine aims to identify the right drug, for the right patient, at the right dose, at the right time, which is particularly important in cancer therapy. Problems such as the variability of treatment response and resistance to medication have been long-standing challenges in oncology, especially for development of new medications. Solid tumors, unlike hematologic malignancies or brain tumors, are remarkably diverse in their cellular origins and developmental timing. The ability of next-generation sequencing (NGS) to analyze the comprehensive landscape of genetic alterations brings promises to diseases that have a highly complex and heterogeneous genetic composition such as cancer. Here we provide an overview of how NGS is able to facilitate precision medicine and change the paradigm of cancer therapy, especially for solid tumors, through technical advancements, molecular diagnosis, response monitoring and clinical trials.