The month of February highlighted two significant dates related to cancer: World Cancer Day and International Childhood Cancer Day.
As we know, 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives, and in Spain alone, more than 288,000 cases will be diagnosed in 2024 (a 2.6% increase from the previous year), of which approximately 1,500 will be childhood cancer. We can therefore say that, to a greater or lesser extent, it is a disease with a significant presence in our lives.
Despite these striking figures, the medical advances made in recent years are encouraging, as they show significant progress that is translating into more lives saved. Thanks to the work of committed medical oncologists and researchers, we can have hope for a future where this disease has a cure.
In recent years, one of the factors that has made a difference has been early diagnosis. This allows for the prevention and early detection of certain types of cancer, which facilitates and increases the chances of a cure. In turn, this improvement in disease detection has contributed to designing more effective and personalized treatments in a wide range of areas (surgery, radiotherapy, new drugs, etc.) as well as developing awareness and prevention campaigns for risk factors, such as the anti-smoking campaign.
Likewise, the advancement of precision medicine and genomics has also been decisive. Thanks to this, the study of tumors has been approached in a very detailed way to understand the characteristics of the tumor in each patient and thus design a specific and more effective therapeutic strategy.
With these advances, cancer survival rates have doubled in the last 40 years and are currently 55% in men and 61% in women. And for some types of tumors, such as breast cancer, for example, we are seeing survival rates close to 90%.
But this does not end here. Science continues to advance, and at FERO, together with the large community of doctors and researchers who accompany us, we continue to pursue new findings in translational research. Some of the research trends we will continue to see in 2024 are:
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy focuses on analyzing the capacity of patients’ immune systems to control and respond to a tumor. It has undoubtedly represented a paradigm shift in cancer treatment and a huge benefit for patients. In this field of research, we will see new findings in the identification of biomarkers that allow oncologists to determine the most appropriate type of treatment for each patient.
“Immunotherapy aims to specifically redirect the patient’s immune system against tumor cells to effectively eliminate them, thereby strengthening the patient’s defenses against the tumor,” says Dr. Alena Gros, Head of the Immunotherapy and Tumor Immunology Group at VHIO and winner of the XIV FERO Grant.
Study of the Metastatic Process from Different Perspectives
Metastasis is a process by which cancer cells spread from the patient to other areas of the body, and it is currently the cause of 90% of cancer deaths. The study of metastasis has been approached from different angles by numerous scientists to understand how to tackle cancer at this stage, but much remains to be discovered: understanding its origin, knowing how to stop it, etc.
At FERO, we also address this important problem. The project by Dr. Mariona Graupera Garcia-Milà, which won the V FERO-ghd Project, presents an innovative approach, as it focuses on the study of cells that accompany tumor cells in the metastatic process.
This could prevent the appearance of metastasis. The mechanisms responsible for the spread of breast cancer to the bone, which is the primary site of metastasis in this type of cancer and is associated with an unfavorable prognosis, are being investigated.
This is a much-needed research trend as there is a significant difference when metastasis occurs compared to localized tumors, causing the cure incidence to drop significantly.
Biomarkers of Resistance
Biomarkers help predict patients’ response to certain therapies and, at times, determine the need for some patients to receive more effective alternative treatments.
In this line of research, Dr. Francisco Martínez-Jiménez, winner of the XXIV FERO Grant, is developing a study that will address the search for resistance biomarkers in therapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), which help provide patients with more adapted and effective therapies. We are confident that they have a long way to go.
Liquid Biopsy
Liquid biopsy is a cancer diagnosis and monitoring technique through which a sample of a body fluid (usually blood, but also cerebrospinal fluid or others) is analyzed to determine the presence of tumor cells in it, as well as to analyze their DNA and thus establish a personalized treatment.
Under this premise, a new line of research has emerged thanks to the findings of Dr. Cristina Saura, Head of the Breast Unit at Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron and the Breast Cancer Group at VHIO, Dr. Miriam Sansó, Researcher at IdISBa, and Dr. Ana Vivancos, Head of the Genomics laboratory at VHIO, which have shown that liquid biopsy of breast milk could be useful for the early diagnosis of breast cancer, as the breast milk of these patients contains circulating tumor DNA.
This project began in 2020 with funding from the II FERO-ghd project on breast cancer.
Undoubtedly, an exciting field in which we are convinced we will see many advances soon.
Translational Oncology Research in Childhood Cancer
Several pediatric projects have been funded by the FERO Foundation over the past year. It is a particularly challenging field in which we hope to see great advances that improve the lives of children, as this type of research receives limited financial resources. Together, we can contribute to boosting this field of research by donating funds for projects that have a positive impact on patients’ lives.
There is still a long way to go in research, but we are confident that in the near future we will see great achievements and advances that continue to generate hope for what is most important: curing cancer.
Once again, we extend our thanks to all the researchers, doctors, and patients behind each project. Together, we are weaving a more optimistic future.
And, of course, we are deeply grateful to our donors for supporting these projects with their contributions. We hope to soon see and celebrate many more research advances together!
