Innovations in Cancer Therapy
Over 1,600 leading experts in the medical field gathered at the annual Medical Innovation Summit meeting at the annual Cleveland Clinic’s Medical Innovation Summit at the Cleveland Convention Center in Ohio, hoping to expand people’s understanding of the healthcare market.
This is the Summit’s 13th year. The Summit is renowned for thought-provoking panels, lively one-on-one discussions with influential CEOs and the discussion of the latest market-ready technologies that are poised to shake up the status quo.
Here are some of their leading innovations:
Personalized Genomics
Tumors have a considerable genetic variability which indicated that a certain treatment is appropriate. We cannot just say that there is one shot gun approach for all breast cancers or lung cancers. Doctors can do what is called a genomic-based blood test which can determine which treatments would be most effective in fighting the cancer, sparing patients from unnecessary and toxic drugs.
Immunotherapy
Understanding a tumors’ genetic profiles can also unveil how they evade our immune systems. There has been headway in training the immune system to fight cancer. The drug Ipilimumab emerged in 2011 for the treatment of multiple melanoma. Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that was once a death sentence. Ipilimumab has greatly extended the longevity of melanoma patients. This class of drugs has huge potential use.
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Hepatitis C Drug Stops Liver Cancer
Hepatitis C is a liver disease that can morph into cancer. Sofosbuvir, the first oral treatment for Hepatitis C was in the final stages of Food and Drug, then a year later the drug has been approved and is extremely popular. This drug holds tremendous benefit for the baby boomer generation, which immensely suffers from Hepatitis C.
Intra-operative Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer
At the time of breast surgery a single shot of targeted radiation called intra-operative radiation therapy is given. This one shot is just as effective in treating breast cancer as whole breast radiation over several courses. Whole breast radiation, which is more toxic, has been problematic psychologically and physically. Targeted radiation does away with a lot of that and the outcome is just as good. This treatment will decrease side effects, improve outcomes and many more women are willing to go through it.
UCT Scans for Early Lung Cancer Detection
Worried about the risks of developing lung cancer after you quit smoking? Well you are not alone, this has been a neglected group because X-rays have not been able to pick up small nodules that could morph into cancer. Well, now a CT scan provides a 3-D image of the lungs. Are you likely to get lung cancer or not? This scan will show just strong the prognostic probability is of cancer occuring.
