Recently, scientists have discovered another gene mutation, which makes bowel cancer patients unresponsive to the treatment with drugs like Erbitux and Vectibix. Though this is bad news for cancer patients it shows that oncology is headed in the right direction, as the treatment of cancer is becoming more and more linked to the genetic make-up of the patient. This new trend in oncology shows that different types of gene mutations have a really important role to play in how the treatment works on different cancer types. This latest discovery was announced Wednesday at a medical convention held in Geneva in which the latest finds in oncology were revealed.

Study shows that drugs like Erbitux, a drug which is developed by ImClone, and Vectibux, developed by Amgen, only work in tumors which contain a specific version of a gene, known as KRAS. The Geneva medical convention also revealed that another version of a gene, called BRAS, has something to do in this specific treatment of cancer. Research shows that unresponsive treatment with Erbitux or Vectibix is caused in 30 or 40% of cases by the KRAS gene and that the BRAS gene can be held accountable for only 12% of cases.

The medical convention sharply highlighted the need of more genetic markers to be used in oncology in order to prescribe a treatment that has the most chances of working. This extended use of genetic markers that show a patient’s genetic make-up and, if present gene mutations, will help the oncology evolve and will help the development of more effective treatments for people suffering from cancer.