Next-Gen Cancer Treatment Innovations Redefine Cancer Care
Cancer is a devastating global health concern. It is one of the leading causes of death, with breast, lung, colon, rectum, and prostate cancers as the most common. The World Health Organization reported that it accounted for almost 10 million deaths, or one in every six deaths in 2020.
Despite modern technologies and advances in medicine and clinical microbiology, medical researchers have yet to find a cure for cancer. However, amidst this challenge, scientists worldwide continue in their pursuit of cancer treatment innovations. Their collective goal is to enhance cancer survival rates and to ultimately eradicate this formidable disease.
Game-Changing Cancer Treatment Breakthroughs
Conventional chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy have been the pillars of cancer care for decades. The landscape of cancer treatment, however, is fast evolving. New drugs and techniques are now reshaping how the world addresses this life-threatening illness.
Here, we explore six cutting-edge cancer treatment options that revolutionize the field and significantly enhance patient recovery.
Precision Oncology
Genetron Health Chief Executive Sizhen Wang called this approach the ‘best weapon to defeat cancer’ in a World Economic Forum blog. It enables medical professionals to prescribe targeted therapies to cancer patients.
Precision oncology examines the genetic makeup and molecular characteristics of the cancer cells and tumors in individual patients. Compared to general treatments like chemotherapy, it maximizes the effectiveness of personalized medical interventions. This new cancer treatment option also minimizes harm to healthy cells and ensures patients experience fewer side effects.
Liquid Biopsy
Doctors have relied on traditional biopsies to diagnose cancer, be it breast, blood, or neuroendocrine cancer. The problem with these biopsies, though, is they typically need surgery to get a tissue sample for testing in a laboratory.
Unlike these traditional options, liquid biopsy is non-invasive. Surgery is unnecessary because this procedure only requires testing blood samples for signs of cancer-related genetic mutations, biomarkers, and alterations. This method allows for more frequent and accurate monitoring of the tumor and helps determine the most effective targeted therapies for the patient.
Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy
The main goal of immunotherapy is to boost your immune system to fight cancer. It is a biological therapy used before surgery or any treatment. Some of its examples are T-cell transfer therapy, monoclonal antibodies, and immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Patients who undergo neoadjuvant immunotherapy receive it in different ways: intravenously, orally, topically, or intravesically. The administered immunotherapeutic agents help shrink the size of tumors and make inoperable tumors operable. They also enhance your body’s natural defense against cancer and limit or stop the spread of cancer cells. More importantly, this cancer treatment increases the chances of successful surgical outcomes and long-term survival rates.
Antibody-Drug Conjugate
One of the many cancer treatment innovations today is the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) approach. ADCs are a new class of drugs whose mission is to destroy cancer cells without damaging healthy cells.
When chemotherapy drugs combine with monoclonal antibodies, they produce specialized antibodies. These antibodies recognize and bind to antigens or proteins on the surface of cancer cells. ADCs then release the attached chemotherapy drug into the cancer cell.
Antibody-drug conjugates are effective for treating breast, lung, and stomach cancers. As more oncologists adopt this treatment, patients can expect fewer side effects during their fight against cancer.
Why Are Cancer Treatment Innovations Important?
Cancer treatment breakthroughs address the evolving challenges posed by the disease. There are many types of cancer, and most need different approaches. But as innovations in immunotherapy, precision medicine, and targeted therapies emerge, we find new ways to treat rare and aggressive cancers.
New cancer treatments increase the likelihood of a successful recovery. They also ensure patients no longer have to endure pain and emotional burdens associated with conventional chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. They give us hope for a brighter future by helping patients and finding a cure to cancer.
Need Lab Tools for Cancer Research?
The right lab tools can make all the difference, especially for cancer research. At TLD, we understand how critical these resources are in developing cancer treatment innovations. Our lab essentials, from microscope slides and cover glasses to spectrophotometers, can help researchers discover more advanced and effective cancer treatments.
Sources:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/08/cancer-treatment-and-diagnosis-breakthroughs/
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/cancer-care-future-technology-experts/
https://www.curetoday.com/view/exciting-lung-cancer-advances-from-2023
https://www.youdobio.com/eight-tools-for-cancer-research-in-your-lab-and-how-to-get-them/
https://www.who.int/health-topics/cancer#tab=tab_1
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/15458-biopsy-overview
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/immunotherapy