Innovation Spotlight

MOLECULAR PROFILING

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is leading the way in molecular profiling to treat our patients in new and more effective ways.  We are taking discoveries made in the laboratory about the genetic origins of cancer and translating that science into clinical practice. 

What is Molecular Profiling?

There are differences in the DNA structure of each patient’s cancer cells. Changes that occur in the DNA structure of cancer cells are known as mutations. Research has shown that some cancers may respond to certain treatments better than others because of specific genetic mutations. Testing for mutations in cancer cells is known as molecular profiling.

Molecular profiling involves the additional testing of a stored sample of your cancer which was previously collected during a biopsy or surgery. Molecular profiling can only be done if your stored tumour sample contains sufficient amounts of tumour cells and DNA for testing.  The Princess Margaret has the expertise required to interpret molecularly profiled tumours and is making an increasing use of this personalized approach in patient diagnosis.  


Our IMPACT and COMPACT trials are two examples of Personalized Cancer Medicine in action.  They are the ONLY major ongoing clinical cancer sequencing efforts in Canada.  

IMPACT is a pilot study we launched in March 2012.  The primary objective of IMPACT is to provide the treating clinician with information about their patients that may be used to guide treatment. 

A parallel arm of the IMPACT study referred to as COMPACT, was launched in November 2012 to make molecular profiling available to patients who are receiving their cancer treatment at other Greater Toronto Area hospitals. These patients are referred to The Princess Margaret by their community medical oncologists for participation in the COMPACT study.