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How Cancer Treatments Have Changed Over Time: From Old Methods to New Innovations
By Raveena M Prakash
Cancer has become a global concern and a crucial public health challenge right now. According to WHO, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths in 2022. Currently, the landscape of cancer treatment has transformed into a more advanced level in terms of enhanced clinical outcomes and improved patient lives. If you are diagnosed with cancer or experiencing any symptoms of cancer and want to explore more about cancer treatment in India, then read further!
In this article, we’ll discuss more about the recent evolution of cancer treatments, why surgery in cancer treatments is significant for the cure of cancer, and much more!
The evolution of cancer treatments
Cancer treatments have progressed significantly over the time period. Some of the traditional cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy, have been considered as the major treatments for the cure of cancer.
These treatment methods have been proven effective. However, it comes with several side effects, depending upon the type and stage of cancer and personal health conditions. Modern innovation in cancer treatments aims to improve the efficiency of treatment, reduce the side effects, and provide more personalized treatment approaches for fast recovery from cancer.
Advancements in cancer treatments
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is often used to harness the immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells in a patient. This treatment has shown a remarkable success rate in terms of treating cancers such as melanoma, lung cancer, and certain types of leukemia.
Here are different types of immunotherapy, these may include:
- Checkpoint inhibitors: This is another type of immunotherapy, used to help the immune system recognize and destroy cancer cells. There are some popular drugs that are used for these treatments, such as pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo). These drugs are approved for the treatment of various types of cancer.
- CAR T cell therapy: This is another type of immunotherapy, popularly known as CAR T cell therapy, and in these treatments, the T cells are modified to target cancer cells and then reinjected into the patient’s body.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is another type of cancer treatment, often known as a drug treatment, that uses powerful medicines to destroy or kill fast-growing cells in the body. Chemotherapy is mostly used to treat cancer, since these cancer cells grow and multiply more quickly than most cells in the patient’s body. There are different types of chemotherapy drugs available today. In some cases, chemotherapy drugs are used alone, or they can be combined with other treatments to treat the cancer.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy is another advanced cancer treatment that involves specific drugs often designed to specifically destroy cancer cells by interfering with some specific molecules involved in the growth of cancer in people. This treatment approach efficiently reduces the damage to the healthy cells when compared to the traditional chemotherapy process.
- Monoclonal antibodies: The patient’s immune system produces proteins called antibodies to fight against infections. Monoclonal antibodies are the synthetic versions of these natural antibodies. They also lock onto a protein on the surface of cells or surrounding tissues to affect how cancer cells grow and survive in the body.
- Small molecule inhibitors: These drugs are small enough to enter inside the cancer cells in the body, often starting to block certain proteins that give signal to cancer cells to grow.
Precision Medicine
Precision medicine is another type of cancer treatment designed to treat cancer based on a patient's genetic conditions along with the molecular characteristics of the cancer. Genetic testing often helps the doctors to determine the most effective therapy for each individual.
Gene Therapy& CRISPR in cancer treatment
The advancements in gene therapy and CRISPR technology are revolutionizing cancer treatment by modifying the genetic material to fight against cancer in people.
Here’s how gene therapy is used in cancer treatments.
- Role of gene editing in cancer treatment: CRISPR is used to edit several cancer-causing agents, eventually stopping the disease from its root cause.
- Recent clinical studies and its impact: There are some ongoing clinical studies whose results in treating various types of cancers offer hope for future treatments.
Liquid biopsies
A liquid biopsy is a blood test that detects cancerous tissues and tumors in the cells. When the tumor grows, the tissue starts to break down and starts to circulate through the bloodstream. Performing a liquid biopsy helps to identify these pieces in the blood in a suspected cancer patient.
Surgery in cancer treatment
Surgery is a major treatment method used in the cure of cancer disease in patients. One of the goals of performing cancer surgery is to remove all the cancerous cells and surrounding healthy cells around it. In some cases, the surgeon also removes some lymph nodes in that area. The lymph nodes are tested to see if there are any cancerous cells in them. If the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, it can also spread to other parts of the body.
Proton Therapy
Proton therapy is another advanced treatment method used for the cure of cancer, which includes a type of radiation therapy. This treatment uses high-powered energy to treat cancer and noncancerous tumors in the body. Proton therapy is another type of radiation therapy that uses energy from positively charged protons, also known as particles.
Combination therapy
Combining several treatment approaches, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and surgery, is proving to be more effective in treating more advanced-stage cancers in people; this treatment approach is often known as combination therapy.
In locally advanced cancer cases such as breast cancer, treatment mostly consists of combination therapy, which includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly used in healthcare, especially in cancer care. AI is used to analyze a large amount of data, predict patients’ treatment outcomes, and develop new treatment strategies. Additionally, prevention and early diagnosis of cancer are the most powerful components that help people to fight against cancer. However, AI is now included as a practical tool in cancer intervention and treatment of cancer.
Personalised Cancer Vaccines
Cancer research has introduced the use of personalized cancer vaccines for the treatment of cancer. Personalized cancer vaccines are another advanced cancer treatment approach used especially to prepare the immune system to identify and fight against cancer cells or mutations, also known as neoantigens, in each cancer patient.
These specialized vaccines are created based on the patient's type of cancer and the extent of growth, which often helps to offer a more specific treatment approach to immunotherapy, resulting in more effective treatments with fewer side effects.
Consult Today
The advanced cancer treatments and ongoing cancer research have significantly improved the survival rate and recovery rate of cancer. These effective treatment methods have increased the early diagnosis and prevention methods in suspected cancer patients. With these effective treatments have come an improved quality of life and better outcomes. At Oncare, patients often receive advanced cancer treatments with personalized expert consultation at an affordable price range, with an increased chance of recovery.
If you or any loved ones of yours are diagnosed with cancer and if you are looking for the best cancer hospital in India, then visit Oncare Cancer Center’s website and book an appointment today.
Get an estimate of your cancer treatment cost today and take charge of your health without wasting any time!
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common types of cancer treatments may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. However, the choice of treatments is often decided highly based on the type of cancer, stage, and its extent of growth in the body, in addition to individual medical conditions.
The cancer treatment has improved remarkably due to the advancement in health care, especially in cancer treatments. Currently, the modern treatments are more targeted and less invasive, with an increased precision in terms of reduced side effects on patients and increased recovery rates. The development of targeted therapies and immunotherapies has also resulted in improved results for many patients.
Precision medicine in cancer treatment includes designing particular cancer treatments based on the patient’s genetic conditions and specific characteristics of their cancer. This treatment approach is often used to aim for more productive and effective treatments with less side effects by targeting unique aspects of specific cancer.
Yes, there is some ongoing cancer research in the development of effective cancer treatments, which include cancer genomic research, artificial intelligence, and cancer vaccines.