In an article from Scientific American titled “Five Cutting-Edge Cancer Treatments”, the author illustrates five advances in medicine that are changing the way cancer is treated today. The reason why I chose this topic is due to my interest in cancer biology. In the past, I had an aunt who was diagnosed with colon cancer. We were devastated and frankly had no idea what it would take for her to be healed. This has fueled my interest in this subject and although the name of cancer is well-known among society, I think it is simultaneously one of the least understood. A common theme across the board for families who have been affected by cancer is fear of not knowing what will happen to your family member and not fully understanding what cancer is. One day I would like to contribute to this field of research and help further the progression of medicine in this aspect.
The article first introduced one of these treatments titled “precision medicine”. This is a type of treatment that is currently being tested and developed. The article states that in January of this year, there was a precision medicine initiative announced by President Barack Obama. The initiative announced was an emphasis on researching and developing treatment through this method. The benefits of this type of treatment are endless, however, the article focuses on how it applies to the treatment of cancer. Precision medicine is personalized care that treats each individual specifically. This is done directly through a person’s genetics and health history. In the past, precision medicine has given options to patients to have therapy that targets the specific gene mutations that cause a tumor or cancer. Through precision medicine, doctors and physicians will be able to identify mutations in the patient's DNA early on which could lead to prevention of the spread of cancer in the body.
Another method of treatment that has been essential in the fight against cancer is using the patient's own immune system to attack the cancer cells. This is a breakthrough idea because the usual treatment for most types of cancer is chemotherapy and radiation which destroys the cancer cells but also destroys many other types of cells causing extreme sickness and pain in the patient. Using the patient’s immune system is a safer and more effective way to eliminate the cancer. The drugs that have been designed for immunotherapy has been created to boost the immune system to fight off the cancer cells in the body. The article mentions two drugs called nivolumab and ipilimumab that boost the T cells in the immune system which fight off cancer.
The third treatment that the article mentions is: “cell-based therapy”. Cell-based therapy is a form of treatment that manipulates the T cells to attack the cancer cells more readily. Using the T cells that are already present in the patient’s body to fight off the cancer cells is a way that could fight off the cancer cells in the patient’s body.
Another treatment that has been extensively researched in the past several years in “epigenetic therapy”. This uses a method that is quite opposite of chemotherapy and radiation. Rather than poisoning the cells or trying to cut them out, scientists have come up with a treatment that simply turns “off” the cancer cells leaving the rest of the good cells unharmed. A drug called AG 221 has been tested in recent years and according to the article has had a 38% percent positive response rate from the 159 patients who were tested. Scientists hope to make improvements and continue to increase the positive response rate in future patients.
The fifth treatment in the article is research on metastasis. Metastasis is the process whereby cancer is spread from one portion of the body to another by breaking off from the tumor origin and growing in a new part of the body. The states that, “Metastasis causes nine out of ten deaths from cancer, and survival rates haven’t improved much since the 1960s.” It is because of statistics like these that scientists are tirelessly researching the process and how to prevent this from occurring. Groundbreaking discoveries by scientists in 2014 have “open[ed] up a promising new avenue for treatment.” These discoveries include the idea that tumor cells have “remarkable tendency to cling to blood vessels”. Scientists believe that this might explain how cancer cells could “hide out and remain undetected”.
The article concludes with a quote from Joan Massague, PhD that I believe summarizes the conclusions from this article. It states, “Mankind is turning cancer from what we’ve known it to be - the way we’ve related to it in the 20th century as an impossible disease - into a ‘normalized’ disease, Our relationship with it will be much more like the one we have with infectious diseases, for which we have antibiotics and other treatments.” Science is on a road to having reliable treatments for cancers of all types.
--AS
https://www.scientificamerican.com/page/sponsored/memorial-sloan-kettering-cancer-center/five-cutting-edge-cancer-treatments/?wt.ac=SA_Native_MSK_CancerOptimism_BCAD#
I think this was a very intresting article that it seems had a real impact on you personally and i think its great that we can apply the things we learn and see in science to our lives. I too have had several members's of my family developed cancer over time and some have passed away, but it is good to see and know that constently people are developing new ways to combat the disease.
ReplyDelete-Jacob C
This post is very interesting. I love the idea of precision medicine, but I think they should extend it further- outside of tumors, and cancer. From what I read in this post, it seems that this type of treatment is way more specific for each individual. This is a great idea, because no two people are the same, and what may work for one person may not work for another. I think you will find way more success with treatments if you are looking at a specific individual’s DNA. Doing this, one can target different things in different people, building better suited treatment plans for each person.
ReplyDelete-Mindy C.
This is a very comforting article, where I, like you, know people who have suffered from cancer. It's neat to think that we are learning a simplified version of how this stuff works. C.W.
ReplyDeleteDid the article talk about which of the above treatments is most beneficial or effective? Or is it possible to mix and match these treatments for an individual and create a cocktail of cancer fighting possibilities? I would be curious to see if one of these rises above the rest and becomes common place, like an antibiotic for bacterial infection. I agree with Mindy C. in that the precision medicine should be used for different kinds of diseases, not just cancer. Unfortunately, I think cost is a big factor in the reason why it might not be used widely. Good write up and interesting content.
ReplyDelete- Alex G.
That is a wonderful question. I can see it going both ways. If we mix and match I believe we can either end up with a powerful fight treatment or a harmful treatment that could do more damage to the patient. It would be interesting to find this out and even see some research done on it. J. RYAN
DeleteAlex, you have have a great questions, if you can mix match these treatments. From what I have read and understand, there are a few of the above mentioned things you can combine and some you cannot. You can always improve your immune system (a mentioned treatment) and undergo something such as "cell theory". Although, this may seem silly, its vital to always improve your immune system. You cannot undergo a "mix and match" to treatments such as "cell theory and metastasis". Studies show that your immune system would have hard time holding up and repairing both treatments along with it hasn't been tested on humans. I had to do some outside research but this is what I found.
ReplyDelete-NP
Wow this is very interesting I had not heard of many of these types of treatments prior to this.I have not dealt with any close family members that have had cancer but I have many friends who have. The chemotherapy and radiation patients have to have is very difficult. It is always good to know they are coming up with better ways to treat diseases like this.- D.B.
ReplyDeleteThe second method of cancer treatment that you talked about in your article sounds incredibly innovative. If the own patient’s cells are being used to attack the cancer cells, is it created essentially in the same way that a vaccine is? It would be interesting to see exactly how your cells can be trained in a such a way where they can recognize and kill your cancerous cells, but leave your healthy cells alone. Is there a concern that perhaps the cells that are supposed to kill the cancer growths could start attacking healthy cells?
ReplyDeleteCZ
This precision medicine the article talks about would not have been possible unless the human genome project had happened. All of the countless hours and years spent determining what genes are located where on which specific chromosome make this possible. It is great that they are narrowing cancer research and finding ways to better treat it.
ReplyDeleteR.W.
Sorry to hear about your aunt. This article is very interesting. It is amazing the scientific advances that help us learn more about diseases. Are these different treatments recommended for specific types of cancer? B.C.
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend is a cancer survivor and is now in medical school to become an oncologist. I asked him about these different possible advances and he said that he would love to focus on researching epigenetic therapy. Although he is very thankful for chemotherapy and the medical technology that saved his life, he said those days (the days he was getting treatment) were (obviously) the worst days of his life. If there was a way to avoid that type of treatment i think it would be ideal. It would allow people who already fight and feel awful everyday to be able to not be down and out physically for such a long time.
ReplyDeleteKH
I actually am good friends with Paul Bodily, a member of the team that helped make a significant discovery in the area of 'precision medicine.' Check out his story here http://kutv.com/news/local/singing-student-makes-accidental-dna-discovery-at-byu
ReplyDelete-BG
this is truly amazing, that now we can use our own body's to fight such a hard situation. this is truly a break through. is using the drugs fda approved? how are they regulating this treatment? this could change life's but life changing things have been know to be out of our reach.
ReplyDeleteMy friends dad committed suicide this week. He had skin cancer that metastasized into his bones. He was in so much pain, and he was miserable. Techniques like the one in this article gives me hope that someday we as a human race will find how to cure the out of control mitosis we call cancer.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather and great grandmother died from colon cancer. Back then, they didn't have the hope that comes from cancer treatment today. We think that we have a predisposition for colon cancer in my family, and because of that we have taken precautions to make sure to get yearly check ups as needed. I hope that one day, we might be able to pinpoint the causes for cancer and give better treatments to those who suffer from it.
ReplyDeleteR.T.
I love the first treatment where they treat each patient as individuals. Obviously, each person is different, and they need to be treated as such. We can't expect to do intense treatment on people who are not in a high stage of having cancer. Also, if we are going to take on a big task as cancer, it would be smart to go after and figure out what starts it before it starts or detect it quickly before it spreads.
ReplyDeletegomez
Another thought came to mind, and I don't know if anyone knows, but how effective are places that say to go get a mammogram? The reason I ask is the only way that detection of mutation in the DNA will work from preventing cancer or catching it before it gets worse is if people continually go and get checked. There are many people who don't even bother because they don't think they have cancer, until they get really sick and it might have possibly spread and gotten worse.
ReplyDelete-A.G
How quickly does metastasis occur? I'm wondering how soon the cancerous tumor needs to be caught before spreading.
ReplyDeleteSkyler H.
I wonder how important precision medicine will be. Can it fight late stage cancer? Is it only useful to help prevent cancer? I like how scientists have discovered the means by which metastasis occurs. If cancer can be contained it can usually be treated effectively. - T Anderson
ReplyDeleteThe idea that you can stop the cancer from spreading is something that is an ingenious idea. If they could find a way to make it so cancer doesn't spread that could bring up a way to make it so blood clots don't spread as well. Cancer is spread through the blood stream as is blood clots. If they found the way to stop the cancer from spreading we could even save people with blood clot issues as well.
ReplyDeleteHS
Good job on your blog post! Cancer is a crazy disease and there are so many different kinds that kill millions of people. Finding a cure is the goal! Do you know what stages the cancer has to be in for some of these treatments? Are there certain stages where we cannot practice these treatments?
ReplyDelete-B.N.K.
This article sounds very interesting. I did not know that the cancer can be fought with the bodies immune system. -EH
ReplyDelete