Today we have better and more personalized cancer treatments than ever before, thanks to the efforts of oncology research in the fight against cancer.
More than fifty years ago, a person with cancer had a 25% chance of survival. Currently, survival rates are around 50%. And they are expected to reach 70% by 2030. All with the goal of, someday, dying with cancer, but not from cancer.
Discoveries in Cancer Research in the 21st Century
LEARN ABOUT THE 21ST CENTURY RESEARCH MILESTONES that have marked a turning point in the fight against cancer:
2003
Completion of the Human Genome Project, which enabled the characterization of more than 20,000 genes.
2006
Approval of vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV).
2010
Birth of precision oncology, which enables comprehensive genomic exploration to apply personalized treatments.
2012
Identification of cellular immunity to combat tumors using CAR-T cells and the development of T lymphocytes, white blood cells that defend the body against infections and other attacks and can be redesigned in the laboratory.
2017
Introduction of liquid biopsy (LB) into routine clinical practice.
2018
Inclusion of immunotherapy in cancer treatments.
2019
Confirmation of the association between human papillomavirus (HPV) and the development of oral cavity cancer.
2021
Identification of a new biomarker for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
2022
Discovery of the drug trastuzumab deruxtecan, which halts the progression of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer in 75.8% of patients and causes the tumor to disappear completely in 16% of them.
The FERO Foundation and Advances Toward a Cancer Cure
In recent years, cancer research has advanced exponentially, leading to different discoveries that have marked a turning point in the future of cancer. And this is due, in part, to increased social and political commitment and, therefore, to increased funding for oncology research, such as the contributions from foundations like FERO.
Throughout the Foundation’s history, FERO has funded research that has studied the genetic alterations of tumors, the so-called “disease vulnerabilities,” to diagnose and treat it in a targeted manner.
It has also provided very significant funding for innovative techniques such as liquid biopsy, genetic screening of patient tumors, and also advances in immunology and immunotherapy to better understand the defense mechanism that we all have in our bodies that is already prepared to fight diseases, but sometimes does not know how to recognize them.
In the article “With the Latest Advances in Oncology Research, Cancer Has No Future,” you will find the most recent discoveries in cancer funded by the FERO Foundation, through the study of biomarkers, precision medicine, liquid biopsy, immunotherapy, CAR-T therapies, and nanomedicine.
