LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Patients in Kentuckiana have access to faster diagnoses and personalized care thanks to specialized laboratory capabilities and equipment to perform on-site genomic testing. The highly specialized testing will make it possible to diagnose and treat cancer more precisely and to tailor advanced treatments based on a tumor’s specific genetic composition.

“The equipment around me allows us at a molecular level to determine what’s going on to not only help diagnose cancers better but also predict how people are going to do and work around prevention,” said Dr. Joseph Flynn, the chief administrative officer of Norton Medical Group and the physician-in-chief for Norton Cancer Institute.

Genomic testing, also known as next generation sequencing, can quickly determine what drives a tumor’s growth. Specialists can use this information to make the best possible treatment decisions and deliver treatment using the most effective tools.

The Steven Vanover Foundation’s gift allowed Norton to purchase the equipment tool outfit the lab. (Spectrum News 1/Michael Cadigan)

Thanks to the genomics lab’s in-house testing, it will allow Norton Cancer Institute to cut in half the time it took to get test results from an outside laboratory. Patients can then begin receiving key treatments and therapies from an oncologist even sooner.

“The quicker we can get the right answer, the better we are going to be and having that right here in the community, we can bring it right here to our patients,” said Flynn.

Family and friends of Louisvillian Steven Vanover created his namesake foundation to honor his spirit and generosity. Steven passed away at age 24 from a rare and aggressive form of sarcoma. The foundation’s $250,000 gift stands to make a far-reaching impact.

“The Steven Vanover Foundation took a tragedy and made something wonderful that’s going to make a positive impact on many people.”