Doctors hope that by studying SNP profiles in populations, correlations will emerge between certain SNP profiles and specific responses to cancer treatment.

In the earlier example of two breast cancer patients, one did respond to the specific drug treatment, and the other did not. It may soon be possible to show that an entire group of patients responding well to breast cancer treatment repeatedly display profiles within a recurring set (e.g., A and E), while a group of non-responders repeatedly display profiles outside the set. In the future, after a doctor has diagnosed breast cancer in a new patient, he may also request a SNP profile and use the information to help advise his patient about her treatment options.