Dr Mark Kris Explains the Changing Roles of Physicians and Human Genomes

As the human genome becomes more of a part of standard care, both the physician’s responsibilities to his or her patients and the way care is delivered changes, explained Mark Kris, MD, William and Joy Ruane chair in thoracic oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

He said that physicians need to learn how to understand and interpret the genetic information put before them because this information is integral to the whole care of the patient.

“It makes [the physician’s] job a lot easier sometimes and a lot harder sometimes,” Dr Kris said. “Also with all of these changes, there’s not a clear path as to what’s the right thing to do.