VA says precision cancer testing guided Navy veteran to immunotherapy

Advanced molecular testing through the Department of Veterans Affairs' Precision Oncology program identified a treatment option for an 83-year-old Navy veteran with cancer, the VA said in a Nov. 1 story. The story was written by Shadia Jalal, deputy director of the National Precision Oncology Program.

According to the VA, Bob Thomason, a naval flight officer from 1964 to 1969, was diagnosed after his primary care provider noticed an unusual deviation in his iron levels during a routine annual exam. An early colonoscopy found a mass, and follow-up testing showed the cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes.

The VA said molecular testing of the tumor showed it was microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H), a biomarker that an earlier polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening missed. That finding made Thomason a candidate for immunotherapy, a treatment that helps the immune system target cancer cells. His routine includes monthly bloodwork and a 30-minute visit for an injection, according to the department.

Thomason, a VA patient since 2010, said the treatment has not changed his daily life and that he still plays pickleball in California three times a week. He also attends a monthly support group for veterans in treatment.

The VA encouraged veterans to ask their providers about genomic cancer testing and personalized treatment options available through its nationwide network.

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/670