Precision oncology is entering a new phase. Rather than simply profiling a tumor and matching it to a drug, physicians are increasingly able to follow a patient’s cancer over time, measuring treatment response, detecting residual disease, and adjusting therapy as the disease evolves.
Jerry Radich of Fred Hutch Cancer Center has been at the forefront of this evolution. His pioneering work in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) helped establish molecular monitoring as a critical part of cancer care and prefigured the rise we see in MRD testing today. Some CML patients can even discontinue treatment after achieving a sustained deep molecular response. Radich discusses how this remarkable success has become a model for other blood cancers.
He’s now helping lead myeloMATCH, a national precision oncology initiative that brings together clinical trial groups across North America. With some 350 participating sites and molecular results typically available in less than 48 hours, the program is matching patients with acute myeloid leukemia to clinical trials based on their cancer’s genetic profile. Radich sees an opportunity not only to personalize treatment but to accelerate drug development by using molecular response as an earlier measure of efficacy.
We also explore the limits of molecular profiling, the emerging role of the immune system, and why increasingly sensitive tests may transform how we understand cancer. Looking ahead, Radich imagines a future in which patients could monitor their disease burden almost continuously, perhaps even through wearable or implantable devices.
Radich is co-chairing the upcoming APOAPE conference in Seattle on January 15, bringing oncologists and pathologists together to connect advances in molecular diagnostics with real-world treatment decisions. The conference is free for healthcare professionals.
