Tumor gene testing urged to tell if drug targets your cancer

WASHINGTON — The government has recently approved the first cancer therapy that's based on a tumor's genetics instead of the body part the cancer struck first.

Now thousands of patients whose cancer is growing worse despite standard treatment can try this new therapy — as long as genetic testing of the tumor shows they're a candidate.

One oncologist says "it's like having a lottery ticket."

Today, doctors diagnose tumors by where they originate — breast cancer in the breast, colon cancer in the colon — and use therapies specifically tested for that organ.

In contrast, the Food and Drug Administration labeled Keytruda the first "tissue-agnostic" treatment, for adults and children.