Cancer is one of the scariest diseases out there, and it afflicted over 100,000 South Africans in 2022 (with more than 60,000 dying of it), according to the World Health Organisation.
Thankfully, scientists are always looking for solutions to the burden of cancer. Here are three of the most exciting breakthroughs:
🔹One of Australia’s most respected academics, Professor Richard Scolyer, has announced that he is cancer-free after undergoing a first-of-its-kind treatment for glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. Scolyer and a colleague previously discovered that immunotherapy is more effective when a certain combination of drugs is administered before surgery to remove a tumour. This insight led Scolyer to become the first brain cancer patient to receive combination pre-surgery immunotherapy last year. He was also the first to receive a personalised vaccine tailored to his tumour’s characteristics, enhancing the drugs’ ability to detect and fight the cancer.
🔹 Scientists at Oxford University have discovered proteins in the blood that could warn people of their cancer risk… seven years in advance! They conducted two studies in which they identified 618 proteins linked to 19 different types of cancer, including 107 proteins in a group of people whose blood was collected at least seven years before diagnosis. While the studies show promise, the research team has stressed that more research on the role of proteins in cancer development is still needed.
🔹A newfound ability to preserve breast tissue in a special gel solution outside the body is helping scientists test the most appropriate drugs on living tissue to treat and prevent breast cancer. “Ultimately, this means that women can take the most effective drug for their particular genetic makeup,” said Dr Hannah Harrison, a research fellow at the University of Manchester.
These continuous efforts to push the boundaries of medical science move society closer to a cancer-free future. 💙
