Cancer research Insights 2010-2020: How Cancer changed during the latest Decade

Cancer has become a household name worldwide in the last decade. The overall cancer mortality rate has, however, declined in the past 10 years. It has been an exciting time in cancer research, according to experts and cancer doctors. The decade started with a fascinating result from the clinical trial of revolutionary cancer therapy and ended on a high note with a noble prize in medicine for a different type of cancer research. Some major advances in treatment, diagnosis, survival, and learning about the complexities of cancer research were made.

In this decade, immunotherapy got it’s due, precision medicine or targeted therapy came to the forefront, radiotherapy improved, and chemotherapy became a little more non-invasive. Not only that, but gene therapy & DNA sequencing gained traction, health disparities changing cancer outcomes became clearer, and liquid biopsies, as well as the use of AI and machine learning in cancer treatment research, also became prevalent.

Let’s look at the evolution of cancer research, including cancer treatment research, from 2010-2020.

Top insights in cancer research in the past decade

Precision gaining traction in cancer treatment

Cancer doctors worldwide are choosing precision cancer treatment and cancer treatment research. The precision treatment is based on a person’s genetic information and the specific type of cancer. Gene sequencing has become less expensive than it used to be, and targeted therapy is being widely used for all types of cancer, but especially lung cancer of high mortality rates.

If you ask any respected cancer doctor who keeps himself/herself informed about the advancements in cancer treatment research, like Dr. Manish Singhal, the best oncologist in Delhi NCR, he/she will tell you all about the success precision medicine has been getting over the decade.

About 49% of cancer doctors, experts, and researchers agree that in the last decade, precision medicine has taken long strides in the right direction. While the remaining percentage believes that the best is yet to come in the following two years. About 12% of all precision therapy and research is being conducted on cancer.

Precision therapies and research is helping experts analyze large amounts of genetic data, identify mutations, and help find new treatments. So far, it has shown great promise in lung cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and certain brain cancers.

Understanding the involvement of “neighbors” in cancer metastasis

Almost every type of cancer has a chance of metastasizing. Cancer doctors and patients often fear metastasis because of the increased mortality rate associated with it. However, nobody knows the exact associations required for cancer to metastasize. To know that, cancer doctors and researchers concentrated more on defining the different features of cancer cells that dictate the chances of metastasis. According to experts, cancer cells that metastasize:

• Send & receive signals to change the microenvironment to make a path for the upcoming spread.
• Evolve to avoid attacks from the immune system.
• Are completely capable of creating a new tumor.
• Are capable of thriving in a new location.

Identifying the helpers in these microenvironments is important because they can help identify new targets for novel treatments.

Immunotherapy to the rescue

Improvements have been made in immunotherapy in this decade to invoke innovations like never before. CAR-T therapy, for example, has become popular among cancer doctors and researchers in the fight against cancer. Pioneering research in the development and improvement of Kymriah, the first FDA approved gene therapy was done in this decade. Jansen’s BCMA CAR-T Therapy JNJ-4528 got a breakthrough therapy designation.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are another form of immunotherapy on the rise in this decade. They technically stop cancer cells from hiding from the body’s immune system. While some of them have been useful in treating different types of cancer, some lost their beneficial quality when patients developed resistance to these drugs.

Discovering the relationship between obesity and cancer

In a recent study, cancer doctors and researchers have discovered that 13 types of cancer are related to obesity. Not only is that but, obesity is also the 2nd leading cause of preventable cancer deaths in the USA. In the last decade, cancer treatment research has revealed many other obesity-related factors that affect cancer. Here are some pointers:

• People following cancer prevention guidelines, along with maintaining healthy weights have a lower chance of getting cancer.
• 6 obesity-related cancers are rising more in adults under the age of 50 than older adults.
• Obesity before, not after colorectal cancer, is associated with a higher mortality rate.
• Losing weight after 50 can decrease women’s chances of getting breast cancer.

Smoking: The first cause of preventable cancer death

Ask any cancer specialist in Delhi or anywhere in the world, and they’ll tell you that smoking is still the top cause of preventable cancer death. Pioneering studies on the complexities of tobacco and it’s effect on the economy have shown that higher taxes on cigarettes and tobacco reduces smoking. Smoking is a leading cause of lung cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. A study has also revealed that women’s risk of dying from smoking-related cancer death has caught up to men.

Side Note: Over a million people have given up smoking in the last few months due to Covid-19 fears.

The role of microbiome in cancer is revealed

In cancer treatment research, the role of the microbiome, an aggregate of all microbiota residing in a human body, came into the spotlight. A healthy amount of microorganisms helps our immune systems function smoothly. However, when the balance is lost, it can cause different diseases, including cancer. It is noteworthy that such a misbalance has been proven to help cancers metastasize.

Different causes of Cancer

Epigenetics, i.e., changes in how genes behave that don’t involve changes to the gene itself, has been linked to cancer as much as genetic changes in the current decade. Some of the findings in support of that include:

• Several types of cancers are associated with Epigenetics.
• Epigenetics alone can cause cancer.
• Genes can be controlled by microRNA or tiny pieces of RNA that contribute to the development of a tumor and it’s spread.
• microRNAs can be the targets of novel anti-cancer drugs.

Health equity is the need of the hour

According to cancer doctors, health equity, the idea that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to prevent, get diagnosed with, treat, and survive cancer, has been a hot topic this decade. Not only that, but several studies have also been done to study health disparities, their cause, and their solutions.  Some of these revealed:

– Social and economic issue-related cancer care inequalities are on the rise.

– Younger individuals with no financial security get diagnosed with cancer at a later stage.

New discoveries about cancer cell metabolism

Ask any oncologist in Noida or anywhere in the world and he/she will tell you that cancer cells, like any other cell, use metabolic processes to grow. But they have abnormal metabolisms, which help them grow and spread rapidly. Cancer doctors in cancer treatment research and experts have conducted many studies in this decade to understand how to use cancer cell metabolism to find new drug targets. Here are some new finds:

• An abnormal protein in a cancer cell made by a mutated gene can be used.
• Amino acids used as fuel by cancer cells to grow can be used. This can be especially used in pancreatic cancer.
• Abnormal enzymes created by mutated genes in a cancer cell can be used.
• Genes activated in areas with too little oxygen can be used.

Importance of palliative care

There have also been a lot of studies on palliative cancer care and palliative cancer treatment research. Researchers have noted that only 14% of people needing palliative care receive it. The improvement seen in patients receiving palliative care has also astonished many cancer doctors. Online and face-to-face palliative care curriculum, along with a wholesome strategy, has been the focus of many studies.

The final lesson

2010-2020 has been a great decade for cancer because of the increased intensity of discoveries and developments in every cancer treatment research and cancer diagnosis. The future is even brighter as cancer research is becoming more and more advanced. However, not every specialist knows about all the advancements of the decade. If you or anyone you know needs more insights about the advancements of cancer in this decade or needs to consult a cancer doctor who is aware of the many changes, you can talk to an expert like Dr. Manish Singhal, the best oncologist in Delhi NCR.