Precision medicine is no longer a distant ambition — it is rapidly becoming the foundation of modern cancer care. The era of one-size-fits-all protocols is giving way to personalized cancer care based on each patient’s unique biology. Powered by advances in artificial intelligence, large-scale DNA sequencing and integrated data platforms, oncologists can now see tumors with unprecedented clarity. For the 1.9 million Americans, including 42,000 Arizonans, expected to receive a cancer diagnosis this year, this shift represents more than technological progress; it offers a pathway to more effective, personalized treatment. Realizing its full potential will require translating innovation into routine care and aligning stakeholders across the cancer care continuum.
AI-Powered Pathology Is Making an Impact
What once seemed hypothetical has become clinically routine. AI has transformed digital pathology into a scalable reality in clinical settings. Advances in image digitization and computational analysis provide a predictive tool that enables pathologists to help diagnose a patient’s disease with data-driven accuracy. In a recent study of more than 200,000 tumor profiles, GPSai demonstrated 95.0% accuracy in non-CUP (cancers of unknown primary origin) cases and reported on tumor tissue of origin in 84.0% of CUP and 96.3% of non-CUP cases. In more than 600 patients, this study led to changes in diagnosis and treatment.
Advances in validation studies confirm that even minimal tumor samples can now yield highly accurate diagnostic data, helping expand access to precision care. Modern molecular diagnostics can extract and sequence DNA and RNA from samples as small as 50 nanograms of DNA, about 10,000 times lighter than a grain of sand. These tests detect key biomarkers in breast, colon, lung, melanoma and endometrial cancers.
Achieving a multidimensional view of the tumor occurs when image-based pathology intersects with molecular data. This provides more concise information for clinicians.
Molecular-First Treatment Planning Improves Outcomes
Cancer treatment is evolving as personalized approaches replace generalized protocols, enabling therapies to be matched more precisely to each patient’s genomic characteristics.
Improving turnaround time in diagnosing a cancer patient is important. Molecular profiles that once took 30 days or more can now be completed much more quickly. Early profiling accelerates personalized treatment, redefining standards of care far beyond the Arizona labs.
Scaling Precision in Arizona and Beyond
Arizona is becoming a national model for oncology innovation. Between 2019 and 2022, the state saw $3.7 billion in bioscience investment and added 5.7 million square feet of bioscience facilities in Phoenix. By 2023, the sector employed more than 40,000 people across 3,700 businesses, generating $44 billion in economic impact. This growth reflects a culture of research, clinician education and patient advocacy that turns new ideas into practice. The state also saw record gains in federal research funding and venture capital, outpacing national trends.
Policy and payer alignment reinforce this momentum. Arizona’s HB 2144 requires insurers to cover select biomarker testing, expanding access to precision medicine and inspiring similar efforts nationwide. Ongoing updates to CPT codes and payer policies are removing barriers to digital pathology and molecular testing, encouraging continued innovation.
As innovation, policy and clinical continue to align, Arizona is well positioned to accelerate the nationwide shift toward precision oncology. Investment in digitization, data platforms, earlier molecular profiling and closer payer-clinician collaboration will ensure that precision care is not just available but also accessible, delivering measurable benefits to patients statewide and beyond.
David Spetzler, M.S., Ph.D., MBA, is president of Caris Life Sciences.
