During the Inauguration Ceremony of the 2024/2025 Academic Year at the Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School, prominent geneticist and endocrinologist, Prof. Krystian Jażdżewski, gave a lecture, “Oncology Prevention in the Genomic Era.” In his talk, he presented a groundbreaking approach to fighting cancer based on genome analysis and modern methods of genetic diagnostics. 

Prof. Jażdżewski pointed to alarming statistics – one in three Poles may develop cancer in their lifetime, which means that 12.5 million people in Poland are at risk of this diagnosis. In particular, he emphasized the risks associated with breast, prostate and colon cancer. However, he noted, not everyone has the same risk of developing cancer – it all depends on an individual’s set of genes, or genome, which affects how the body responds to various risk factors. 

Genes and cancer prevention 
During the lecture, Prof. Jażdżewski explained that in one in five cancer patients, the cause is the presence of an inborn genetic mutation. In Poland, this could affect as many as 2.5 million people. The professor stressed the importance of genomic testing, which can identify these individuals before the disease develops. “We are saying boldly: let’s test all Poles and find every person at risk, so that no one dies prematurely from cancer,” he appealed. 

Prof. Jażdżewski pointed out that modern genetic diagnostics makes it possible to test 70 genes associated with cancer risk. Thanks to modern genome sequencing techniques, for only a few hundred zlotys it is possible to determine which people have a predisposition to cancer and offer them specific preventive measures, such as lifestyle changes, pharmacotherapy or regular preventive examinations. 

The role of the genome in precision medicine
In his lecture, Prof. Jażdżewski explained that genome-based oncology prevention is a key element of “precision medicine,” which implies an individualized approach to the patient already at the stage of disease prevention, not just treatment. For example, people with mutations in genes associated with colorectal cancer should start colonoscopy screening as early as age 25, instead of waiting until age 50, as recommended by general guidelines. Similarly, people with mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have a much higher risk of developing breast or prostate cancer and should take more radical steps, such as preventive surgery.