Cancer Cure & Research: Personalized Treatment in 5 to 10 Years Will Help Patients Have Longer Lifespan
In light of the upcoming World Cancer Day celebration this weekend, medical specialists, as well as cause advocates, are speaking out to push awareness and research to hopefully find a cure for the disease.
Among these people is the former head of the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer program, Professor Karol Sikora, who spoke with Independent UK regarding how genetic advancement can help find a cure for cancer. While the British oncologist admitted that he does not currently see a cure for the disease, he shares about an interesting treatment — at least in the foreseeable future — that could help patients have a longer lifespan.
Sikora reveals that current research is delving into "understanding the molecular cogs that make cancer cells different to normal cells and therefore developing drugs personalised to the cancer." This, in turn, will help doctors prescribe a more "personalised, precision medicine" depending on every patient's respective condition, therefore, making sure that everyone gets the most effective treatment for themselves.
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"What it would do is suppress the cancer and convert cancer into a long-term chronic disease," Sikora added. And with cancer patients usually diagnosed between ages 50 and 60, suppressing cancer's progression for two to three decades can effectively give these afflicted people a normal lifespan of 70 to 80 years of living.
Sikora believes that this medical breakthrough can finally be put to good use in just a matter of five to 10 years, should efforts on research and development continue on this particular breakthrough in treating the disease.
There are various kinds of cancer, all of which vary in symptoms, treatments and even survival rates. According to a report by the American Cancer Society picked up by the National Cancer Institute website, breast (both men and female), lung, prostate, colon and rectal (combined), and melanoma are five of the most diagnosed types in America last year.
The Pan American Health Organization further notes that in the United States, "cancer is the second leading cause of death, where there are an estimated 2.8 million people are newly diagnosed each year and 1.3 million people are dying from the disease each year. "
This year's World Cancer Day will be observed today, Feb. 4, across the globe.
