Precision oncology

The National Oncology Program's NPOP is guided by evidence-based best practices and substantiated by the latest innovative cancer research.

Today at age 56, Atkinson is fighting another battle—this time a case of aggressive prostate cancer. Thanks to treatment at the VA Portland Health Care System, his condition has improved dramatically in recent months through precision oncology—the molecular profiling of tumors to identify targetable alterations that can be treated therapeutically. Most recently, his PSA level had plummeted to 0.2, after a high of 115 in December.

Hear the latest on treating prostate cancer. Check out a Feb. 24 lecture, online or in person at VA headquarters, on precision oncology for Veterans.

When it comes to exploring new ways to care for patients, VA has a unique advantage: We’re the nation’s largest integrated health care system. And that means we can access the nation’s largest store of voluntary patient data.

A partnership between VA and the Prostate Cancer Foundation is speeding the development of treatments and cures for Veterans with aggressive—or metastatic—prostate cancer through precision oncology.

APOLLO is a complex acronym for a data collection project with an important goal: individualized cancer treatment. VA is working with federal partners in largely unprecedented cancer research.

First announced two years ago as part of the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative, VA oncologists have now used IBM Watson for Genomics technology to support precision oncology care for more than 2,700 Veterans with cancer.