Cancer cells often travel to other parts of the body where they can grow and form new tumors in a process called metastasis. Once this happens it is very hard for a patient to survive a situation like this. For example, about half the people diagnosed with lung cancer live for at least 5 years after diagnosis, but if the lung cancer has metastasized to other areas of the body the survival rate for people is 4 percent, states the Mayo Clinic. This just shows how harder it is for doctors to treat patients with metastasized cancers. Although the survival rate is almost to none for metastasized cancer, researchers are not giving up. New treatments for metastatic cancer are being developed. Researchers are studying new ways to kill or stop the growth of primary cancer cells and metastatic cancer cells, including new ways to boost the strength of immune responses against tumors, says the National Cancer Institute. In addition, they are trying to find ways to stop the metastatic process in some of the steps it make to get to the point of metastasis. But before any treatment can be made available to patients, there must be research studies and has to be safe and effective in treating the disease. “The results of previous clinical trials have led to progress not only in the treatment of cancer but also in the detection, diagnosis, and prevention of the disease,” states the NCI. We have come a long way with all the research studies and it will help patients have a better chance of surviving, but will that be enough?
“If it is so easy to strategically kill cells and shrink tumors, why hasn't cancer been cured?” This though probably runs through a lot of people, but the truth is that it is not as simple as killing a cell or shrinking a tumo...
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...usands of different cancers, what is more likely to happen in this era of smart drugs and targeted therapies is that we will see the war won one battle at a time, one type of cancer, one group of patients at a time. I doubt we are going to wake up someday and say breast cancer is gone. We will however wake up and say we have an important benefit for women with Her-2 positive breast cancer or we have an important new drug for a type of breast cancer that really makes those women live longer. That is where the future is going and it may not be as exciting as the public waking up someday and saying cancer is gone, let's move on to diabetes and arthritis, but it's probably more accurate and that's our job as scientists and doctors to explain that to the public. We are on the brink of multiple, wonderful discoveries and wonderful new drugs. I am confident about that.”
Further research on this alternative model could lead to therapies that not only target the properties of the primary tumor but also those of the secondary tumor and save many from the burden of fighting cancer again.
Because of advancements in technology and funding survival rates have increased in each patient and quality of life due to better chemotherapy and radio therapy drugs are helping millions of survivors round the world to lead a generally normal life without the risk of the cancer returning.
Cancer is a disease in which cells multiply out of control and gradually build a mass of tissue called a tumor. There has been a large amount of research dedicated to the treatment and cure of cancer. Several types of treatments have been developed. The following are just some of the major examples of cancer therapy: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic therapy, biorhythms, unconventional treatments, and hyperthermia. Each type of treatment is discussed in detail below.
...y may be another area of research that may enhance anti-tumor activity. Creating better antibodies, like rituximab and others we are able to better target the tumor cell. There are many targets on our bodies immune cells and by being able to locate them specifically and boost the immune system in order for it to work better than it already can proves to be beneficial and harnessing this power can lead to a dramatic impact on the way we treat cancer. Maintaining and preserving patients quality of life and looking for lifelong cure is what scientists are looking for. Improving the efficacy of these immunotherapy treatments can lead to significant breakthroughs including longterm remission and being able to treat patients with cancer that is hard to treat. I look forward and can't wait to see the advances that will be made in this field or research in the near future.
This statement is very true. When someone is diagnosed with cancer it starts a journey down a road that no one wants to travel on. In recent years, there have been countless trials and tests to find a cure for this terrible disease but none have been entirely successful. There are treatments on the market that can help and slow down the process, but they have various side effects that aren’t quite appealing. The best treatments in todays world include; Rituxan, Avastin, Revlimid, and Gleevec. They all have a different tasks and developments that take affects in the body but each remarkable in its own way.
Fifty years ago, a president boldly said “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth” (Kennedy). Since then, we have split the atom, spliced the gene, and roamed the surface of the moon. There has been an incredible advancement in medical technology, so why can’t we find a cure for cancer? If the United States government made research less of a financial liability, establish subsidies for less wealthy cancer patients, and let independent researchers be at the helm of research, finding a cure for cancer may be within our grasp. I understand that finding a
Jose Baselga, a lead Physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York said, “The next 10 years are expected to usher in unprecedented advances in oncology, including molecularly driven diagnostic and therapeutic developments, whole genome sequencing that results in true precision-based medicine, survivorship care plans that address long-term quality of life concerns, and team-based, cross-disciplinary approaches to research.”(Advances in Medical). This educated guess by Dr. Baselga can lead us to believe that our education about cancer grows with every new account and new procedure that we complete. In the next decade, our understanding of Oncology will be revolutionized in the hope that it will bring us closer to our intended goal of defeating this monstrous disease. Oncology is a flourishing field that is and will be in high demand in the 21st Century because when a problem has been confirmed to be present the human task force will go to various lengths in order to find a solution. Now that Oncology has found a way to presently deal with cancer such as chemotherapy, addressing long term effects of those solutions will be an area that will be focused on as Oncology takes steps forwards towards a cure. Another concentration in Oncology that will develop in the next 10 years will be the prevention of
“Since 1990, over 6 million Americans have died of cancer, more than the combined casualties from the Civil war, WWII, and the Vietnam and Korean conflicts combined” (Faguet, p. 5). According to American Cancer Society projections, there were 1,529,560 new cases of cancer in 2010. Cancer is becoming more and more common around the world. New cancers are constantly being discovered. Researchers are finding new ways to detect cancer and treat it so that the fatality rate does not rise. However, there are some cancers that researchers have not yet discovered a cure for. It is very important for Cancer Research to continue so that one day these cancers will no longer be a treat.
Almost everyone is touched by cancer in some way and the number of people living with and beyond cancer grows greater every year. Globally 14 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year and 8 million people will die from it annually. Half of all men and one-third of all women will develop cancer during their lifetime. (13) There are many treatments for cancer, mainly: surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. These traditional treatments have many negative side effects. Therefore, increasingly, other treatments, such as hormonal therapy and targeted therapy are being used for certain cancers. Nanotechnology is a form of targeted therapy that destroys cancer tumors with minimal damage to healthy tissues and organs. Scientists are already using nanotechnology in early detection of elimination of cancer cells before they form tumors. But the real game changer will be when nanotechnology targets cancer tumors in treatment (11,13).
It is strongly believed that a cure for cancer will be found. Thousands of charities and organizations are raising money to help find a cure. Many charitable events take place such as Relay for Life. In the future we hope and pray that our descendants will not have to worry about this awful disease. Just like Bill Clinton stated “It is now conceivable that our children’s children will know the term cancer only as a constellation of stars.”
For years people have been looking for a cure for the devastating disease of cancer. Cancer is the third highest killer in the US with over 2,500,000 victims per year. Oncologists and scientists around the country are researching all forms of cancer in an effort to understand, treat, and ultimately defeat this disease. Already there have been numerous advances in the field, such as chemotherapy and gene therapy. One advance has been the use of a cell process known as apoptosis. By harnessing this normal cell process, scientists hope to have found an effective way to combat cancer.
Cancer is defined as where the abnormal cells are divided without any control and they are able to invade into tissues. At times cancer can be cured right away once it is detected through treatments that the doctor recommends, but at times cancer cannot be cured based on what stage the cancer is at. It is very important that every individual gets a physical check up to see if they are diagnosed or detected with any sort of cancer or disease. There are 100 types of cancers out there, but the type of cancer that I will be focusing on is Lung cancer. One of the controversial issues on a lung cancer is the ...
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Tumors are then created and interfering with the digestive, nervous and circulatory systems. It is one of the most leading causes of death, reaching at about 8.2 million deaths in 2012. It is expected that cancer will rise from 14 million to 22 million within the next 2 decades. With over 100 cancer research centers in the United States studying how to treat this disease, people need to understand the importance of donating also with the awareness of signs and symptoms in the early stages. But, what are we doing about it? Do we have the technology to finally be able to put this deadly disease to an end?
If cancer cells are found in a patient's body then a doctor will do what they can to remove as many of the cancer cells as possible. After this, the patient may need to undergo regular treatment to prevent the cancer from growing and spreading to other areas of the