If you’ve had cancer, or you know someone who has, you probably know about treatment options like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. But cancer treatment is changing quickly and even if your experience with cancer wasn’t that long ago, there are probably newer options.
Maybe you’ve heard about new or emerging treatments and you’re wondering what’s real, what’s available and who it could help. There aren’t any magic bullets but outcomes are getting better for a lot of people with cancer and side effects are being managed more effectively.
From artificial intelligence (AI) that can spot cancer earlier than ever to vaccines that train your immune system to fight tumors, here's what's reshaping cancer care.
Smarter cancer detection with AI
AI is helping to spot cancer earlier and more clearly. The technology can review thousands of images in seconds and spot patterns that human eyes might miss. That means that AI may catch cancer at earlier, more treatable stages and reduce false positives, which cause a lot of anxiety.
“In imaging like mammograms, CT scans and MRIs, AI can spot tiny nodules or abnormal tissue patterns that radiologists may not detect,” said Madappa Kundranda, MD, PhD, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist with Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center.
AI models can find cancer cells in tissue samples from biopsies and even accurately identify the molecules and genes in tumors, which can help doctors know what treatments are more likely to work.
“AI is also being used to analyze blood samples (so-called liquid biopsies) by looking at fragments of DNA circulating in the blood for early cancer signals,” Dr. Kundranda said.
By using AI to combine data like imaging, genes, family history and personal health history, health care providers can get a clearer picture of overall cancer risk. “AI can help forecast which people are at higher risk or which tumor might respond to certain therapies, potentially shifting screening and treatment earlier,” Dr. Kundranda said.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already approved a number of AI tools and health care providers are using them to get more precise results.
Personalized and precision medicine
“Precision oncology is transforming cancer treatment. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, we are now increasingly designing treatment plans based on the specific biological ‘fingerprint’ of a person’s cancer, which includes unique genetic, molecular and clinical characteristics,” Dr. Kundranda said.
Personalized cancer treatment approaches can include:
- Targeted therapies: Drugs designed for certain gene mutations
- Biomarker testing: Identifying which treatments are likely to work and monitoring the response to those treatment options
- Liquid biopsies: Blood tests that can track cancer DNA
- Combination strategies: These personalized cancer treatment options can be used together
These emerging cancer treatments are leading to successes like:
- Lung cancer patients with certain mutations seeing strong responses to therapy
- Effective breast cancer treatments based on hormone receptor status
- Melanoma (skin cancer) immunotherapies with significant improvements in survival rates
Looking ahead, expect to see AI and genetic profiling used together to create even more personalized treatment plans.
Immunotherapy breakthroughs
Immunotherapy is a way to train your body to destroy cancer. “Your immune system already works to eliminate bacteria, viruses, etc., and it’s always looking for things that don’t belong to the body. Cancer cells can be difficult. Since they come from your own body, they can ‘hide’ from your immune system by pretending to be normal cells or by sending signals that tell immune cells not to target them,” Dr. Kundranda said.
Immunotherapy helps remove those disguises or boost your immune cells so they can recognize the cancer as ‘foreign.’ “The immune cells can then hunt down and destroy the cancer cells. They can even remember them so they can target them again if the cancer comes back,” Dr. Kundranda said.
Cancer immunotherapy options include:
- Checkpoint inhibitors: These help your immune system spot cancer.
- Adoptive cell therapy: This involves removing some of your immune cells, modifying them in the lab and then re-introducing them into your body. Examples include CAR T-cell therapy, T-cell receptor (TCR) therapy and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) therapy.
- Vaccine therapy: Vaccines can train your immune system to spot tumors.
- Antibody-drug conjugate: ADC combines a monoclonal antibody (a type of immune protein made in a lab) with a cancer-killing drug.
- Combination therapies: Merging immunotherapy with other therapies (including radiation therapy) may improve outcomes.
Immunotherapy can cause side effects, which can sometimes be serious. Your care team will watch you closely and can often manage these side effects with prompt treatment.
While immunotherapy treatments get good results in some people with cancer, they don’t work as well in others. Researchers are working to figure out who will respond to these treatments.
What’s available now and what’s next
Providers are already using AI cancer diagnosis, genetic tumor profiling and immunotherapy in cancer treatment.
Emerging cancer treatments now in clinical trials include:
- Next-generation CAR-T therapies
- More options in personalized cancer vaccines
- New drug combinations
- Liquid biopsy monitoring to see how treatments are working
While it’s tough to know exactly what will happen in the future, researchers hope that over the next several years we may see:
- More off-the-shelf immunotherapies
- AI-designed drug combinations
- Earlier cancer detection through blood tests
- Vaccines that can prevent cancer
How to access these innovations
If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer or you’re being treated, you’ll want to know what emerging cancer treatments might be right for you.
Talk to your cancer care team about profiling your tumor to find out what treatment options or clinical trials could be available. Consider getting a second opinion if you need more information or your cancer is complex.
You may want to ask:
- Has my tumor been genetically profiled?
- Am I a candidate for immunotherapy?
- Are there clinical trials I should consider?
- What new treatments might be available soon?
Don’t let cost concerns keep you from learning about your options. Many newer treatments may be covered by insurance, depending on your plan. Some clinical trials provide treatment at low or no cost, and patient assistance programs may also be available.
Emerging cancer treatment at Banner MD Anderson
We offer:
- A precision medicine program for tumor profiling and treatments
- Multidisciplinary tumor boards, where specialists review your case together and recommend a coordinated treatment plan
- A wide range of clinical trials you can consider
We know how hard it can be to make cancer treatment decisions, so our care coordinators and oncology navigators guide you every step of the way.
If you would like to learn more about the latest cancer treatment innovations, schedule a consultation with a Banner MD Anderson cancer care expert. We’re ready to help you learn about some of the latest options.
