How related is breast cancer to say, prostate cancer? Researcher John Witte of the University of California San Francisco is looking at the shared genetic basis among different cancers with the hope that it will lead to more targeted treatment. This project ties in with President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative by personalizing treatment based on genetics.

"All of cancer is a genetic disease. And I don’t mean that it’s all inherited, but even cancers that are caused by say, smoking or sun exposure, arise because there’s been DNA damage."

Witte and his lab are looking for the genetic mutations that different types of tumors share, no matter where in the body they’re located.

"For example, are hormonally based tumors, like breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer, are those arising from similar genetic mutations? And if so, maybe we could use similar treatments across different cancers."