The latest advances in cancer treatment have created a whole new outlook on how to treat cancer. These advances have developed from a deeper understanding of the molecular basis of cancer. Some of the earlier treatments are still valuable however they have some drawbacks. For example, surgery and radiation are effective but they only treat one local area of the cancer. Chemotherapy can treat cancer cells that are spread all over the body but they have extremely toxic side effects. All of these treatments are still in use today and will probably be in use for a while although they will not be the only kind of treatments. 

The new molecular based treatments or immunological treatments are still in a stage of discovery. Two of the latest treatments, Herceptin and Cancer Vaccines, were mentioned in this web page. They are the first advances toward a new way to fight cancer. Researchers are beginning to understand what is broken in malignant cells and target the problem with these new therapies. Even though, these new therapies were originally designed to treat one type of cancer they can be modified to attack other cancers. For example, Herceptin has the potential to treat gastric, endometrial, salivary glands, pancreatic, prostate, colorectal, and non-small cell lung cancer. These new target therapies have been the first to show effectiveness and it is something researchers have been waiting for for a long time. They are called target therapies because they attack the underlying genetic defects that cause cancer. Therefore, these treatments are definitely molecular based. In the past, no one treatment has been able to successfully cure a patient. Maybe molecular based treatments are the ones that can. Ultimately, a great deal of research will be necessary in order to improve these treatments to their full potential. 

References:

UniSci Science and Research News

Genentech, Inc.