One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime. And while most cancers are treatable, some types of cancer are not. In the US in 2020, approximately 606,500 people died of this deadly disease. Thankfully, there is hope for the future. New treatments and cures are continually being released that help us to fight this horrible disease. Here are some of the latest treatments that are promising options for cancer treatment:
1. Personalized medicine
Recently, scientists from the Cancer Research UK’s London Research Institute found that while cancers can be similar, no two cancers are the same. This means that although a particular treatment might work on one person with a specific type of cancer, it might be ineffective on another. With this in mind, scientists have come up with the idea of personalizing medicine. However, until now, it has been ineffective.
One recent advancement in personalized medicine which shows tremendous promise is the patient-derived xenograft animal models. A patient-derived xenograft animal model is produced with the help of xenograft services. A sample of the patient’s cancer is removed and grown in a cell culture. Once it has grown enough, it is transplanted into a mouse or a rat. This tumor then grows to make a visible, measurable tumor. Scientists can then use this tumor to trial different types of chemotherapy to see which works best before administering them to the patient.
2. Immunotherapy
In 2018, the Nobel Prize in Medicine celebrated a breakthrough scientific discovery that used mice and revolutionized cancer treatment. The research found ways to boost the immune system to identify and attack cancerous cells. This technique is known as immunotherapy. While this type of therapy isn’t effective for everyone, it is believed to be successful in a fifth of all cases.
3. Preventing cancer through diet and lifestyle
Once again, in 2018, the media was filled with diet and lifestyle advice that promised to reduce our chances of getting certain types of cancer and other serious diseases. However, often this advice did not have any scientific basis.
Thankfully, this is now starting to change. Over the past few years, scientists have discovered that there is evidence to show that certain foods can reduce your chances of getting cancer. As well as this, two recent studies also found that some foods can also increase the power of some cancer drugs.
The first study found that histidine made a chemotherapy drug called methotrexate more effective. Histidine can be found in foods like beans and meat or consumed as a nutritional supplement. The second study found that insulin levels can make another cancer drug more effective. Of course, unless you have diabetes, you can control your insulin levels with food.
4. Gene therapy
Another new advancement in cancer treatment is gene therapy. Gene therapy is a treatment that targets changes in cancer cells. It can prevent healthy cells from turning into cancerous cells or change genes to correct changes that have already occurred. As well as this, gene therapy can be used to prevent cancer from growing or kill cancerous cells.
5. Robotic surgery
The final example of an advancement in cancer treatment is robotic surgery. Robotic surgery is a method that uses robotic technology to surgically excise cancerous tissue. While humans can do this, robotic surgery has proven more effective. As well as this, it can also help reduce recovery times and carries less risk of complications.
Currently, many forms of cancer cannot be cured. However, there is great hope for the future. Each year we see new treatments and technologies that aim to help in the fight against cancer. Who knows, we might be able to defeat it after all.