GENAYA
Cancers seen in young adults are different from cancers in older adults, the question is how? To answer that question, we need more information. Hartwig Medical Foundation has received almost 4.5 million euros from the Dutch Cancer Society to strengthen the existing infrastructure. With this amount, Hartwig Medical Foundation will use the latest techniques to visualize the complete DNA of the tumor for 1,000 young patients, aged 18-39. The data can be collected for the database. The project will take place from 2022 until 2026.
The name GENAYA is short for ‘A national database of whole GENome data of Adolescent and Young Adult cancers’.
Aims
Until now, the complete tumor DNA test, based on whole genome sequencing, has not often been used as a standard test before starting a cancer treatment. On top of regular diagnostics, this test provides a lot of extra information about the tumor and additional treatment options. The 1,000 patients participating in GENAYA will receive this complete DNA test of their tumor.
Future patients also benefit from what we learn from today’s patients. If patients have given their consent, their data will be encrypted, making it anonymous to the researchers, and stored in the Hartwig Medical Database for future research.
This data consists of information about the patients’ DNA, plus their treatment information and outcomes. This will enable doctors to tailor the treatments of their future patients even better to their specific tumor characteristics.
It is important to unravel the DNA in rare types of cancer; 21% of patients with cancer have a rare form.
