(Newswire.net — June 18, 2018) — There is no doubt that cancer is one of the most serious threats to life that we see in modern society. It is thought that there were around 600,000 deaths from cancer in the USA in 2017, along with a reported number of new cases being close to 2 million! However, it is also an area of medical research that has seen great strides made in recent years.
This constant research into the different forms of cancer and how they work has allowed new, more effective treatments to be developed to help fight them. Although the fight against all cancers is far from over, the major developments that recent years have seen is cause for optimism.
Why is research so vital to beating cancer?
The first thing you have to do to overcome any aggressive disease, such as cancer, is to understand it. You must understand how it forms, how it develops in the body and how it affects the parts of the body in a negative way. By taking steps to research all these factors, you are then able to formulate effective treatments to beat it. In addition, it gives you the correct information to spot the early signs of cancer and deal with it at the initial stage.
This research into cancer has seen many, many talented and fine professionals make a contribution. Mikhail Blagosklonny is one such oncologist who has made a massive contribution to cancer research. His extensive knowledge in this area has enabled him to help us understand how to protect healthy cells from cancerous cells. He has also worked on establishing innovative treatments that target cancer cells early to help eradicate them.
What breakthroughs has cancer research seen in recent times?
The work of such pioneers as Dr Blagosklonny and Sidney Farbar has helped towards the recent developments you may have noticed in the field, as listed below:
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Advances in sequencing tech – the last decade has seen the sequencing technology used within cancer research really move forward. This, and projects such as the Genome Atlas help us to get a much better view of how cancer cells mutate, based on cells genome profiles. This has really helped in understanding how cancer works at the initial stage and how the cancerous cells can be combated.
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Multi-drug approach – another advance seen in recent years has been the discovery that a multi-drug approach may be needed for cancer patients. While individual cancer drugs are effective, research found that some cancers might become resistant to a single drug. This research led the way in developing the advances in this area of treatment.
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Individual approaches to treatment – a major breakthrough in cancer research recently has also been in the more individual approach to cancer treatment. Radiotherapy is a great example of where a more personal approach combined with a molecular perspective has enabled cancer research to move forward.
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Early screenings – perhaps the biggest development around cancer research was the discovery that it is easier to treat effectively when caught early. This saw many more people being screened for the various forms, and many cases have been spotted before it was too late.
What does the future hold for cancer research?
Of course, the above advances in cancer research were tremendous but what can we look forward to in the future?
Immunotherapy looks set to see more research conducted into it, and a greater level of understanding around it as a result. This uses treatment that boosts the body’s own immune system to help fight off the disease, so it could be a massive change if widely adopted. Precision medicine that helps to target mutated cancer cells at an early stage is also on the horizon for the future. This is very exciting as it would only require the patient to take oral medication, and offers an even more precise way to fight the illness.
One major breakthrough around cancer research in the future could well be the effect of your lifestyle on contracting cancer in the first place. While no evidence exists to support this yet, continued research may just show what you can do to minimize your chances of getting cancer.
Cancer research is vital
When it comes to cancer research, a lot has changed over the years. The hard work of talented oncologists has allowed more information to be gained on the various types of cancer and how we can better treat them. As we look into the future, it is only sensible to think that this continued research will not only help us to treat cancer but also to beat it.