As expected, more impressive research findings and greater advances occurred and published in 2007 in biomedical basic science than in clinical research and evidence-based practice.
What makes us unique and what in my DNA makes me me? Can key differences (SNPs, copy-number variants) lead ever to personalized medicine?
• DNA sequencing . Differences in our genomes on a wide range from one to millions of bases, can now be revealed using cheaper, new technologies. Genomewide associations studies using microarrays chips with ~ 1 million SNPs may have clinical implications for various diseases including cancer, heart, diabetes and other diseases. Companies make now personal genome available but it is still too early for medical decisions. Caution is suggested behind commercial service.
• The ENCODE pilot project has shown the important functional role of noncoding DNA regions and reveals how complex personal medicine .
• The Cancer Genome Atlas for breast cancer is nearly to be completed.
Clinical research and practice. Breast cancer incidence can be reduced. Two epidemiological studies demonstrated that a decrease in the use of HRT links to decrease in breast cancer incidence in the USA. The anti-VEGF agent bevacizumab improves disease-progression free but not overall survival. For gastric cancer D2 surgery plus postoperative chemotherapy improves disease-free and overall survival. The targeted agents Sorafenib and bevacizumab improved survival in liver cancer and treatment of advanced kidney cancer respectively.
