Cancer & Recent Advances in Treatments:

Medha Modekurti
Aug 29, 2024
5 min read

Humans have had cancer since 3000 BCE. In the past few decades, it has become more prevalent as the number of cancer cases increased. With recent research and developments, several viruses and over 100 chemical, physical, and biological carcinogens have been linked to cancer. Recent research has also led to various new cancer therapies and treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. This article will detail the history of cancer and explore recent advances in cancer treatment.

What is Cancer

According to the National Cancer Institute, the scientific definition of cancer is “a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body.” (National Cancer Institute, 2021). In other words, cancer is abnormal cell growth.

Cancer can start in any part of the body and evolve into lumps of tissue called tumors. The most common types of cancers are breast, lung, prostate, rectum, and colon.

There are two different types of tumors that cancer cells can become:

Benign Tumors: These tumors stay where they began and tend to grow slowly. They have distinct borders which makes them easy to remove. The majority of benign tumors are not dangerous, but when they grow too large they can compress other structures. This can cause pain or other complications, which warrants removal. Once removed, benign tumors are unlikely to return.

A few examples of benign tumors include:

Adenomas: bumps found on the surface of the gastrointestinal tract
Fibromas: connective tissue tumors found in any organ
Lipomas: round, fatty tumors often found on the neck or shoulders
Hamartomas: tumors found in the lungs, heart, skin, brain, or breast

Malignant Tumors: These tumors form when cancerous cells multiply, grow into a mass, and invade nearby tissue. Sometimes, they break off from the mass and spread throughout the body. This process is called metastasis. Metastasis can occur anywhere in the body but usually in the lungs, brain, liver, and bone.

Common types of malignant tumors include:

Carcinomas: the most common type of malignant cells. They develop in epithelial cells, which line the inner surface of the body.
Sarcomas: form in bones and soft fibrous tissues like tendons or muscles.
Germ cells: begin in cells that produce eggs or sperm.
Blastomas: form in embryonic tissue and cells that develop in the eyes, brain, or nervous system.

Cancer Treatments

Currently, several different cancer treatments or therapies are prescribed.

Some include:

Chemotherapy: The most common is chemotherapy, which works to stop or slow the growth of cancer cells. It can be used to cure cancer, lessening the chance of relapse. It can also shrink tumors that are causing pain or other issues.

Hormone Therapy: Hormone therapy stops or slows the growth of cancers that use hormones to grow. There are two groups of hormone therapy. One group blocks the body’s ability to produce hormones and the other group interferes with how hormones work.

Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy helps the body’s immune system fight against cancer. It is a type of biological therapy which means that it uses substances made from living organisms to treat cancer. Immunotherapy works to make immune cells more strong, boost T-cells to fight cancer, and more.

Radiation Therapy: This type of treatment uses high levels of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. There are two types of radiation therapy: external beam and internal. In external beam therapy, a machine sends radiation beams, coming from various directions to one part of the body. In internal therapy, capsules or seeds with radiation are sent into the body, near the tumor.

Image above depicts how radiation therapy shrinks tumors

Recent Advances in Detection

Several new forms of cancer detection have been discovered or created in the last decade.

Scientists have discovered a new way of detecting cancer called precision oncology. This method identifies changes in cells that may cause cancer cells to proliferate. Using genomic data, scientists can then provide precise and effective treatments for the cancer.
In India, scientists are working with AI-based risk profiling to screen for common cancers like breast cancer. This helps with early diagnoses, reducing the chances of later-stage cancers.
Some doctors are starting to prefer liquid or synthetic biopsies, in place of regular biopsies. Regular biopsies involve removing a section of the tissue from the body, which is invasive. Liquid biopsies check for cancer through blood and synthetic biopsies force cancer cells to reveal themselves. Both methods are much less invasive than regular biopsies

Recent Advances in Treatments

In the past few years, there have been several strides made in reducing or eradicating certain cancers from the body. Several drugs have reached clinical stages and have shown promise in ridding cancer.

One drug like so has shown results in overcoming chemotherapy resistance for patients with triple-negative breast cancer. Chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer makes the tumor stiff, making it difficult for chemotherapy drugs to penetrate the tumors. The main function of the drug is to soften the environment around the tumor so that the chemotherapy drugs can penetrate and work better. This drug may be able to help in other cancers such as pancreatic and kidney cancer, only if it isn’t found to be toxic in future research. So far, the drug has shown immense promise in reducing chemotherapy resistance.

In addition, another drug, which is being developed for pancreatic cancer has shown results against a type of medulloblastoma. Medulloblastoma is a prevalent and aggressive malignant brain tumor seen in children. This drug fights against oncogenes, mutated genes that cause cancer. The drug reduces tumor growth and the spread of cancer cells to the brain and spine. Preclinical models with the drug showed chemotherapy working with increased efficacy when paired with the drug as well. Currently, the drug is in clinical stages 1 and 2 with adults with various cancers, showing some efficacy.

Furthermore, results from a phase 1 colorectal cancer trial indicate that immunotherapy drugs, botensilimab and balstilimab, are more efficient at treating the more common colorectal tumors. Previously, immunotherapy was efficient only with specific tumors in the colon and bowel area. Now, with these new drugs, immunotherapy can target more common tumors. Over 61% of patients saw their tumors shrink or stay stable after treatment.

Conclusion

Though cancer is aggressive and can harm the body, innovations are reducing the chances of late detection and painful treatments. As scientists continue to research and innovate, cancer technologies in detection and treatment will continue to advance. There is a possibility that in the near future, scientists may develop a cure for cancer.