DailyDirt: Imagine There's No Cancer...
In 2015, an estimated 1.6 million patients were diagnosed with cancer and over half a million died from it. We've previously pointed out some cancer research that could lead to promising new treatments, and it looks like we're making significant progress in the fight against the many forms of this deadly disease. Using the body's own immune system to fight cancer is a growing strategy that seems to be working. Check out a few of these minor successes.
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- Jimmy Carter announced that his cancer treatments are going well, and his latest brain scans don't show any tumors. Carter has been getting radiation treatments and doses of Keytruda, an immunotherapy drug, to fight off cancer. Immunotherapy drugs are promising, but it's not well understood how they work just yet. Presumably, as we figure them out, we'll be able to target different kinds of cancer and improve the treatment. [url]
- Sequencing the genes of cancer cells can help determine drugs that could specifically target tumors. Hundreds of cancer drugs have been tested in clinical trials, and a few are extending the life expectancy of patients. As long as the drug prices don't skyrocket unexpectedly, many people might be able to benefit from this advance in biotech. [url]
- The FDA has approved a virus that can attack cancer cells. This living virus, sold as Imlygic, is an engineered version of herpesvirus, and it's probably the first of a class of viral anti-cancer treatments. [url]
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