Path toward Precision Oncology: Review of Targeted Therapy Studies and Tools to Aid in Defining “Actionability” of a Molecular Lesion and Patient Management Support

Abstract Precision medicine trials and targeted therapies have shifted to the forefront of oncology. Although targeted therapies have shown initial promise, implementation across the broad landscape of oncology has many challenges. These limitations include an incomplete understanding of the functional significance of variant alleles as well as the need for clinical research and practice models that are more patient-centered and account for the complexity of individual patient tumors. Furthermore, successful implementation of targeted therapies will also be predicated on efforts to standardize the framework for patient management support. Here, we review current implementations of targeted therapies in precision oncology and discuss how “actionability” is defined for molecular targets in cancer therapeutics. We also comment on the growing need for bioinformatics tools and data platforms to complement advances in precision oncology. Finally, we discuss current frameworks for integrating precision oncology into patient management and propose an integrated model that combines features of molecular tumor boards and decision support systems. Mol Cancer Ther; 16(12); 2645–55. ©2017 AACR. See related article by Pilié et al., p. 2641