Precision oncology: current and future platforms for treatment selection

Genomic profiling of hundreds of cancer-associated genes is now a component of routine cancer care. DNA sequencing can identify mutations, mutational signatures, and structural alterations predictive of therapy response and assess for heritable cancer risk, but it has been less useful for identifying predictive biomarkers of sensitivity to cytotoxic chemotherapies, antibody drug conjugates, and immunotherapies. The clinical adoption of molecular profiling platforms such as RNA sequencing better suited to identifying those patients most likely to respond to immunotherapies and drug combinations will be critical to expanding the benefits of precision oncology. This review discusses the potential advantages of innovative molecular and functional profiling platforms designed to replace or complement targeted DNA sequencing and the major hurdles to their clinical adoption.