Getting the most out of Cancer Treatments

Robert Nagourney, MD, talks with Joyce about Chemosensitivity Testing in Cancer Therapy.  Dr. Nagourney is medical director of Rational Therapeutics in Long Beach, California.  He is a leader in the “functional profiling” of human tumors.  

“Cancer patients are highly individual in their response to chemotherapies. This is why each patient must be tested to select the most effective drug regimen.”He works with a sample of the live tumor, in its environment, with all its blood vessels intact, in order to understand how best to target it and stop its growth while limiting harm to the patient.

He wants patients to understand what the process is trying to accomplish, and what this information can mean for the success of their treatment.

“Medicine is a humbling experience and cancer medicine even more so.  Patients often know more than their doctors give them credit for.  Failing to incorporate a patient’s input, experience and wishes into the treatment programs that we design, limits our capacity to provide them the best outcome.”