Breaking headlines about major advancements in treating numerous types of cancer came on the heels of the recent Terry Fox Run and the Ride to Conquer Cancer.
While an all-around cure remains elusive, the substantial progress that has been reported on is nothing short of remarkable.
Recent media reports revealed that while once essentially a guaranteed death sentence, late-stage melanoma — a form of skin cancer — has become substantially more survivable than a mere decade ago.
About 10 years ago, only one in 20 patients diagnosed with late stage melanoma were expected to live more than five years. Most would die in a matter of months.
However, drugs that harness the body’s immune system have paved the way for a substantial increase in survivability. Now, more than 50 per cent go on to live for at least five years, a clinical trial has shown.
A roughly 50-50 flip of the coin certainly beats 1-in-20 long shot odds.
Meanwhile, headlines also broke about a new class of cancer drug, called larotrectinib, that is being hailed as “revolutionary” in treating a wide range of tumours, and was approved for use in Europe for the first time, the BBC reported in September.
“Tumour-agnostic drugs do not care where the cancer is growing in the body as long as it has a specific genetic abnormality inside,” reads a Sept. 23 article.
Doctors in the U.K. reportedly said the drugs are “really exciting” and claimed the approach has the potential to cure more patients with fewer side effects.
Back home, larotrectinib was approved by Health Canada earlier this summer.
“In the clinical trials that were the basis for this approval,” reads a press release dated July 30, “TRK (tyrosine receptor kinase) fusion cancer patients treated with larotrectinib experienced clinical benefit across numerous tumour types, including lung, thyroid, melanoma, GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumour), colon, soft tissue sarcoma, salivary gland, and infantile fibrosarcoma.”
Response rates have been encouraging. Sounds to me like “revolutionary” might even be an understatement.
These developments loudly counter the conspiratorial claims that a cabal of evil, greedy scientists are colluding to keep secret a cure for cancer.
The reality is science, as anyone with a fleeting grasp of history understands, takes time to progress and yield advancements.
Folks who are so convinced conjuring up a cure for cancer is a walk in the park should perhaps consider ponying up and pursuing a career path in scientific research.
But thanks to all of the people who support annual cancer fundraisers such as the Terry Fox Run and the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, perhaps cancer can within our lifetimes become relegated to the history books.
