An overview of progresses in cancer treatment: to what extent?

Posted by beauty33 on August 2nd, 2019

In addition to several commonly used traditional methods of treating cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, scientists are still investigating new treatments and techniques.

  1. Immunotherapy

Currently, immunotherapy, which is of interest to everyone, includes NKT cell immunotherapy, PD1, PD-L1 immunotherapy, and the like. They fight cancer by re-activating the body's own immune cells.

  1. Therapeutic viruses and innovative vaccines

One of the most striking weapons in the fight against cancer is the therapeutic virus, which was discovered by a British team. In their experiments, they managed to use reovirus to attack brain cancer cells, leaving healthy cells. This is the first time that a therapeutic virus has been found to pass the blood brain barrier. This immunotherapy can be used to treat more people with aggressive brain cancer.

Another area for improving immunotherapy is the "dendritic vaccine", in which dendritic cells (which play a key role in the body's immune response) are collected from a person's body, "armed" by tumor-specific antigens, and taught them to "hunt" ", and destroy the relevant cancer cells - and inject back into the body to promote the immune system.

  1. Nanoparticle revolution

Nanoparticles are microparticles that have received so much attention in clinical research because they give us a sophisticated, less aggressive approach to diseases. Crucially, they can target cancer cells or tumors without damaging healthy cells in the surrounding environment.

Some nanoparticles have now been created to provide very concentrated warming treatments, a treatment that uses hot temperatures to shrink tumors. Scientists in China and the United Kingdom have successfully proposed a "self-regulating" nanoparticle that exposes tumors to heat while avoiding contact with healthy tissue. Nanoparticles can be "loaded" with drugs and set to "hunt up" cancer stem cells and prevent tumor growth or recurrence. Scientists are trying to treat various types of cancer, including breast and endometrial cancer.

  1. Tumor starvation therapy

Another strategy recently investigated by researchers is "starving" tumors based on the theory that tumors need nutrients to growth and infiltration. Scientists point out that in this case, this is an effective method for cancers that cannot be effectively eradicated.

Three different studies were published in January this year, which investigated how to cut off the nutritional supply of cancer. One of the studies explored how to prevent glutamine (a naturally occurring amino acid) from feeding cancer cells. Certain cancers, such as breast, lung and colon cancer, use this amino acid to support tumor growth. By blocking the exposure of cancer cells to glutamine, the researchers managed to maximize the effects of oxidative stress, a process that ultimately induces cell death.

  1. Cancer treatment and epigenetics

epigenetics refers to changes in our body through changes in gene expression that determine whether certain features are present, or whether certain "behaviors" are affected at the biological level.

According to research, these changes affect many cancers, as well as the behavior of cancer cells, which are determined by epigenetic factors. "Recent advances in the field of epigenetics have shown that in addition to a large number of genetic changes, human cancer cells have globally apparent abnormalities." These genes and epigenetic changes interact at various stages of cancer development and promote cancer progresses. Therefore, experts should understand when and where they are involved and how they might be expressed, depending on their role in cancer development. For example, one study found that genes responsible for the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease produce a series of molecules, whose effects may actually prevent cancer.

What’s the significance?

cancer research is running at full speed, and the cure for various types of cancer is currently a hot spot; although promising research is published and reported daily by the media, the types of cancer vary widely. It's hard to say that the method that applies to a type of cancer will suit everyone.

In addition, although many emerging studies are expected to be more effective, most of these projects are still in their early stages, both in vitro and in vivo. These potential treatments still have a long way to go before entering human clinical trials.

Still, this does not mean that we should lose all hope. These efforts should make us optimistic; although we are at a stage where we cannot assert that cancer is easily eradicated, further knowledge and more precise tools are putting us at the forefront and increasing our chances of fighting cancer.

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beauty33
Joined: July 10th, 2017
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