Understanding Your Tumor Can Help Inform Your Treatment Options
Biomarkers are characteristics of a cancer that can provide important information about how the cancer may behave and whether certain treatments may be appropriate. In stomach cancer, biomarker testing can help your healthcare team identify treatment options. This can include targeted therapies and immunotherapies, and may also help identify clinical trials to consider.
Because biomarker testing can play an important role in treatment planning, talk with your healthcare team about which tests may be appropriate for you and what your results mean.
Why Biomarker Testing Matters
Stomach cancers are not all biologically the same. Testing a tumor for certain biomarkers can provide information that helps your healthcare team better understand your cancer and make more informed treatment decisions.
Depending on your diagnosis and test results, biomarkers may help:
- Identify whether certain targeted therapies or immunotherapies may be treatment options
- Inform treatment planning
- Identify clinical trials that may be relevant
- Provide additional information about the characteristics of your cancer
Know Your Biomarkers
Understanding your biomarker results can help you have more informed conversations with your healthcare team. DDF’s Biomarker Testing Cheatsheet provides an easy-to-use overview of biomarker testing and questions to consider asking your care team.
Ask the Expert: The Role of Biomarkers in Stomach Cancer
In this Ask the Expert interview, Dr. Samuel Klempner of Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School explains how biomarkers can help guide stomach cancer treatment decisions and identify potential treatment and clinical trial options.
Watch the interview to learn more about biomarker testing and the role it can play in personalized stomach cancer care.
Watch: Ask the Expert – Understanding the Role of Biomarkers In Stomach Cancer →
Biomarkers Educational Videos
Developed in collaboration with CancerCare, this educational video series helps patients and caregivers learn more about biomarker testing, how results may influence treatment decisions, and questions to discuss with their healthcare team.
Biomarkers and Clinical Trials
Biomarker results may also help identify clinical trials designed for cancers with particular characteristics. If you’re considering a clinical trial, understanding your biomarker results can be an important part of exploring potential opportunities with your healthcare team.