What Are the Newest Cancer Treatments Available Today?

Cancer treatment and care is changing. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation will still be important treatment approaches, but up-to-date treatment options that include newer technologies have developed and shifted toward better patient outcomes and lower side effect profiles with higher degree of precision with the treatment techniques.

 Newer treatment options are leveling the science that drives precision medicine by looking at the details of what cancer is genetically and cellularly, in order to better treat any specific type of cancer.

Immunotherapy: A Turning Point in Cancer Care

Immunotherapy has changed the landscape of cancer treatment by stimulating the immune system to recognize predominately by the patients’ own immune system to attack cancer cells. In contrast to chemotherapy that indiscriminately kills healthy and unhealthy cells, Immunotherapy is generally viewed to be much more specific in purpose. 

Nivolumab and pembrolizumab have already produced strong outcomes in patients with cancers like melanoma, lung, and kidney cancer; and the field is growing rapidly, along with even newer forms of immune-based therapies.

CAR T-Cell Therapy: Reprogramming the Immune System

CAR T-cell therapy is a specific type of personalized immunotherapy, meaning that doctors modify the patient’s own T-cells to work in a better way against the cancer. The modified T-cells are infused back into the patient’s body and they do the rest by actively seeking the cancer cells. CAR T-cell therapy is already FDA approved in certain conditions of leukemia and lymphoma, and research is expanding into more solid tumours, which makes it a very exciting area of development.

Targeted Therapy: Hitting Cancer Where It Hurts

Targeted treatments seek out specific mutations or markers that are responsible for the growth of cancer. Instead of attacking any and all rapidly dividing cells, these drugs disrupt a specific pathway at the molecular level that is important to supporting cancer cells. 

Patients with HER2 positive breast cancer or those who have BRAF mutations in melanoma are already benefitting from these treatments. Targeted treatments are often more precise and therefore lead to fewer side effects, allowing for a better quality of life during treatment.

Hormone Therapy: Smarter Use of an Existing Option

Hormone therapy is still being refined for hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast and prostate cancers. Hormone therapy works by reducing levels of hormones in the body or preventing hormones from affecting cancer cells.

 New, modern hormone therapies provide better delivery and combination options to enhance tolerability and effectiveness relative to the previous years.

Liquid Biopsy: A New Era of Early Detection

Liquid biopsy is a simple blood test that can identify pieces of the cancer DNA. This non-invasive testing means that earlier diagnosis, continuous monitoring of how a person’s treatment is working and adaptations can be made as needed depending on how the cancer is responding.

 A traditional biopsy, on the other hand, is invasive and its scope can be limiting. Liquid biopsy is much broader and flexible as a tool to enable personalised care.

Artificial Intelligence: Enhancing Every Stage of Care

Artificial Intelligence is being utilized for all elements of cancer treatment planning by quickly processing vast amounts of data from scans, genetic profiles and prior outcomes. By reviewing and processing large amounts of data, AI will help physicians make decisions in a timely and accurate way. Though still a work in progress, AI represents a significant component of multidisciplinary teams for cancer care.

Today’s cancer treatments continue to become more intelligent, more targeted, more patient-centered and more patient-focused. Whether it is immune-based therapies, diagnostics and advanced diagnostics, or AI-assisted treatment pathways, every advance points to new possibilities. If you, or a family member, are coming to terms with treatment options, discussing them with the best oncologists in Chennai will help you access and pathway the most sophisticated and suitable care available today.