Cancer, as we currently know it, has its days numbered, and the latest advances in oncology research prove it. Discover where we come from, what the current situation of cancer is, and where we are heading.
Declaration of war on cancer
After reaching the moon in 1969, curing cancer became humanity’s next challenge. In 1971, United States President Richard Nixon signed the Cancer Act, which resulted in enormous investments in research. Since then, many advances were made and the future seemed bright.
40 years and millions of dollars later, we still have not cured the disease. However, research has provided us with greater knowledge of it. Scientific discoveries, new early detection techniques, and the implementation of preventive measures such as reducing tobacco consumption have contributed to extending the lives of cancer patients and reducing mortality.
Cancer situation worldwide
The data are striking. Nearly 10 million people die from cancer each year worldwide. One in three women and one in two men will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. Between the ages of 45 and 65, the disease is responsible for more deaths than heart disease and cerebrovascular accidents combined.
The most diagnosed tumors worldwide in 2020 were, in order of incidence, breast, lung, colon and rectum, prostate, and stomach, all with more than one million cases. And those responsible for the highest number of deaths globally were, in order of incidence, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, and breast cancer. The good news is that survival has doubled in the last 40 years and it is estimated that, although slowly, this exponential rate will continue.
Latest advances in the fight against cancer
Scientific discoveries are responsible for this encouraging outlook. With the vision of curing cancer, oncology research does not stop and each year there are new milestones in this fight.
The most recent discovery is the drug trastuzumab deruxtecan, whose results in the DESTINY-Breast 03 phase III clinical trial, led by Dr. Javier Cortés, director of the International Breast Cancer Center (IBCC), show that it halts the progression of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer in 75.8% of patients and makes the tumor disappear completely in 16% of them.
At the end of February, the Modeling of Antitumor Therapies Group at VHIO, led by Dr. Laura Soucek, published the results of a study demonstrating that Omomyc, a therapeutic protein used to control many primary tumors, also serves to prevent metastasis in breast cancer. Dr. Soucek, winner of the III FERO Grant, was able to establish her group at VHIO in 2011 thanks to FERO’s support, which paved the way to explore how to inhibit the Myc oncoprotein.
The Brain Metastasis Group at the National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), led by Dr. Manuel Valiente, winner of the IX FERO Grant, has designed the METPlatform. This will allow testing drugs for possible use in brain metastases, an incidence that is increasing in patients who experience relapses.
The Experimental Therapies Group at VHIO, led by Dr. Violeta Serra, winner of the I FERO-ghd project in breast cancer, and in collaboration with the Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapies in Solid Tumors Group at IDIBAPS, directed by Dr. Aleix Prat, winner of the XXI FERO Grant, seeks to identify new biomarkers to predict the response of breast cancer patients to U3-1402, an antibody-drug conjugate targeting the HER3 receptor. The objective is to better understand how the new drug works and what the key factors are that will determine the efficacy of this treatment in patients.
Precision medicine approaches the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in a personalized manner through the study of the genomic and molecular characteristics of each patient’s tumor. It represents a revolution for cancer patients, as it allows offering targeted treatments with greater efficacy and lower toxicity and evaluating treatment response. Research projects such as the Advanced Molecular Diagnostics Program (DIAMAV) at VHIO or the Precision Medicine in Oncology Unit at INCLIVA, both funded by FERO, are examples of how we are increasingly personalizing cancer treatment.
It is a new cancer diagnosis and monitoring technique that consists of analyzing a blood sample to confirm or rule out the presence of tumor cells and study their DNA to personalize treatment. This allows knowing at all times how the tumor is, the fundamental alterations of the disease, and deciding the best treatment for the patient. At FERO Foundation, we firmly support this technology, as demonstrated by programs such as DIAMAV at VHIO or the Precision Medicine Program at INCLIVA and the winning projects of the FERO Grants such as those led by Dr. César Serrano, Dr. Joaquín Mateo, or Dr. Héctor Peinado.
It is a treatment that helps and stimulates the patient’s immune system cells to fight the tumor, which has led to improved survival in patients with localized and advanced lung cancer. At FERO, we fund the TILS project at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, where we seek breast cancer patients who are candidates to receive therapy with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. In addition, we support immunotherapy with the awarding of the XIV FERO Grant to Dr. Alena Gros’s project, Non-invasive and personalized T-cell therapy targeting recurrent driver mutations.
At the end of January, VHIO reached 100 patients treated with the innovative CAR-T cell therapy (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T). A type of immunotherapy that consists of identifying neoantigens, cells found in the tumor that, when reactivated in the laboratory, can recognize and destroy cancer cells.
It consists of applying nanotechnology to deliver the drug to the tumor cell, attempting to correct its genetic composition and give orders to the cell to self-destruct to offer more personalized treatment and earlier diagnosis.
