New hope on horizon in fight against cancer

Recent reports encouraging for those suffering from the disease

In the last week or so, there have been some groundbreaking announcements in the world of cancer research and treatment, news that sparks a bit of hope for future successes against the illness.

In the first study, researchers found that “most women with the most common form of early-stage breast cancer can safely skip chemotherapy without hurting their chances of beating the disease,” The Associated Press reports.

That’s great news for cancer patients. Chemotherapy has benefits, but it also has brutal, harsh side effects, including fatigue, hair loss, easy bruising and bleeding, infection, anemia, nausea, vomiting, appetite changes and constipation, according to the American Cancer Society.

The study used genetic testing to gauge each patient’s risk. Those who were found to be high-risk were given chemo — the others were not, and the success rate was tremendous. The AP reports the results are expected to spare up to 70,000 patients a year in the U.S. from having to undergo chemo.

In another landmark development, a woman in Florida had a spreading, advanced breast cancer that was not responding to traditional treatments. Researchers tried a new option, the BBC reports. The researchers studied the cancer cells, found “rare changes that might make the cancer visible to the immune system,” and then isolated white blood cells that would be able to attack those markers in the cancer cells, the BBC reports. Then, the researchers grew 90 billion of the white blood cells in a lab, and reinjected them into the patient — essentially using her own immune system to target the cancer cells, eradicating the disease.

The BBC reports the treatment was highly personalized, isolating a cancer cell, finding its weakness, and then growing targeted white blood cells to act as warriors. But in the end, it worked. More research is needed, but imagine the potential that has for treating cancer. This woman had been given three months to live — and now, she’s thriving.

Cancer is a terrible illness, forever changing not only patients but their families too.

Now, however, there is new hope on the horizon. And that’s welcome news indeed.

DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS OR NOT?