HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · APRIL 2018
BEYOND DRUGS :
The Other Breakthroughs in Cancer Research
We usually associate cancer research and clinical trials with new cancer medicine . But evidence-based cancer care goes far beyond providing drug therapies to patients . Exciting research developments that are unrelated to cancer medicines are improving patients ’ outcomes and quality of life .
Breakthroughs include technology to improve cancer screening , ways to minimize the side effects of cancer treatment , and tools to determine best approaches for treatment . We ’ re increasingly able to use and analyze data to customize cancer care for specific patients . Clinical research drives each of these non-medicine advancements .
Better Prevention and Screening
01 Research that helps identify causes and risk factors leads to better cancer prevention . Better screening and earlier detection enables physicians to treat cancer sooner with greater success . Research is underway to find better screening tools for a variety of cancers .
One example of such research is already making a difference . Mammograms traditionally are the most reliable way to discover breast abnormalities . Traditional mammograms , however , are sometimes unable to identify concerning areas in women with dense breast tissue . Researchers developed a newer technology called 3-D mammography , which takes many lowdose X-rays to create a three-dimensional picture of the breast . Also called digital tomosynthesis , the procedure helps doctors locate and better examine suspicious areas in dense breast tissue beyond traditional mammograms .
Reduced Side Effects from
02 Cancer Treatment Chemotherapy is the most common form of cancer treatment . Unfortunately , the treatment sometimes has negative side effects , including nausea and hair loss . Reducing side effects can improve patients ’ quality of life . Many years ago , research that developed better nausea medications now has helped thousands of patients relieve symptoms of this side effect and spurred transferring most delivery of chemotherapy from a hospital to an outpatient setting , enabling patients to be more comfortable at home with their families .
More recently , researchers developed a “ cooling cap ” to combat chemo-induced hair loss . The cooling cap reduces scalp temperature to reduce the blood flow to hair follicles before , during , and after chemo treatment , which helps prevent hair loss . Although currently FDA-approved for limited cancer types , research indicates that about half of patients who use a cooling cap will successfully retain their hair through chemo treatments .
More Precise Radiation
03 Treatment Most people know that radiation therapy often accompanies drug treatments such as chemotherapy , but many don ’ t realize that radiation therapy has ongoing clinical trials too . Such research has improved the precision of radiation beams to more exactly target tumors and minimize damage to surrounding tissues . Texas Oncology ’ s participation in the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group gives patients access to many promising radiation trials .
Improved Patient Outcomes and
04 Experiences Researchers comb mountains of data to discern the most effective treatments and patient experiences for specific types of cancer . That research , in turn , benefits many future patients . Texas Oncology participates in evidence-based pathways , which uses research and data to inform doctors which therapeutic interventions are most appropriate for each individual patient ’ s case . For example , we now can customize some treatments for breast cancer patients based on how patients with similar molecular profiling have responded to certain approaches . By treating patients with the right treatment at the right time , we can improve outcomes .
Drug therapies will always be a vital part of cancer care . But thanks to new research and technology , cancer care continues to expand beyond drugs to improve outcomes and patient experiences .
GUILLERMO LAZO , M . D .
Guillermo Lazo , M . D ., is a medical oncologist at Texas Oncology — McAllen , 1901 South 2nd Street , in McAllen , Texas .
To learn more about exciting advancements in cancer treatment , visit www . TexasOncology . com or call 1-888-864-I CAN ( 4226 ).
16 HEALTHY MAGAZINE