This article has been updated.
- Cancer is one of the world’s biggest killers, with around 10 million deaths per year due to the disease.
- Scientists working to improve the treatment and diagnosis of cancer are using AI, DNA sequencing and precision oncology, among other techniques.
- Seven out of ten cancer deaths worldwide occur in low- and middle-income countries, according to a World Economic Forum white paper, which advocates for place-based approaches to improving healthcare.
Cancer kills around 10 million people a year and is a leading cause of death globally, according to the World Health Organization.
Breast, lung and colon cancer are among the most common, while the number of new cancer cases annually is expected to grow by more than 75% between 2022 and 2050.
There is some good news, however. Medical advances are accelerating the battle against cancer. Here are 12 recent developments.
1. Personalized cancer vaccines
Thousands of NHS cancer patients in England could soon access trials of a new vaccine treatment. It’s designed to prime the immune system to target cancer cells and reduce recurrence risk. These vaccines are also hoped to produce fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy. Thirty hospitals have joined the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, which matches patients with upcoming trials using the same mRNA technology found in current COVID-19 jabs. Over 200 patients from the UK, Germany, Belgium, Spain and Sweden will receive up to 15 doses of the personalized vaccine, with the study expected to complete by 2027.
2. Test to identify 18 early-stage cancers
Researchers in the US have developed a test they say can identify 18 early-stage cancers. Instead of the usual invasive and costly methods, Novelna’s test works by analyzing a patient’s blood protein. In a screening of 440 people already diagnosed with cancer, the test correctly identified 93% of stage 1 cancers in men and 84% in women. The researchers believe the findings “pave the way for a cost-effective, highly accurate, multi-cancer screening test that can be implemented on a population-wide scale”. It’s early days, however. With such a small sample screening and a lack of information on co-existing conditions, the test is currently more of “a starting point for developing a new generation of screening tests for the early detection of cancer”.