The Future of Cancer and TreatmentsAbby BridgeAP Biology Period 1

The Basics; What is cancer?

• Disease caused by an increased division of abnormal cells in a specific part of the body

• Cancer cells are able to invade tissues of the body

• Can spread throughout the body through the blood and lymph systems

• Lymph is a clear fluid which carries cells to help fight infections

Survey Questions

1. What's the most difficult cancer to treat? (Pancreatic, Ovarian, Prostate, or Breast?)

2. What different cancer treatments do you know of?3. Should more money be spent trying to create new

cancer treatments?4. How many people do you think are diagnosed with

cancer each year? (2.5 million, 900,000, 12.7 million, or 5 million)

5. Do you foresee a cure for cancer being discovered in our lifetime?

6. If you know someone who has/had cancer? What treatments did they use?

Survey Says...

• About 66% of people said that Pancreatic cancer is the most difficult to treat

• People knew about chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery as treatment options

• Most people believe that more money should be spent to create new treatments because of the amount of people cancer affects

Survey says...(cont.)

• About 50% of people believed that approx. 12.7 million are newly diagnosed annually

• People were split in the middle in regards to a cure being discovered; some people don't believe it will occur, others think that at the very least more effective treatments will be developed

• People know people that have gotten surgery or used chemo and radiation as treatment

Cancer Today

Cancer Today• Each year approximately 12.7 million people

are diagnosed with cancer• 7.6 million people die from the disease

annually• The number of deaths by cancer will

increase by 80% by 2030 across the globe according to the World Health Organization (especially in middle and low income countries)

• Pancreatic, Lung, Breast, Prostate, and Leukemia are some of the most commonly diagnosed cases

Treatments Today

• Surgery; can be used to prevent cells from spreading to other parts of the body

• Chemotherapy; the use of drugs and medicine to help treat the cancer

• Radiation Therapy; the use of high-energy particles or waves to damage and destroy cancerous cells

• Blood Donation/Transfusion; temporarily replaces parts of the blood when a patient is unable to make their own or has lost the ability from bleeding

Treatments Today (cont.)

• Today, there are 3 cancer prevention vaccinations that have been approved by the FDA

• Hepatitis B virus vaccine; potential to prevent some forms of liver cancer

• 2 HPV vaccines; can prevent approx. 70% of cervical cancers and other HPV related cancers

• In 2010, the FDA approved first cancer vaccine; can be used to treat prostate cancer

Clinical Trials; to test new treatments

• Treatment trials; test the effectiveness of new treatments or ways of using current treatments

• Prevention trials; test interventions that may lower the risk of developing certain cancers

• Screening trials; test new ways to detect cancer early

• Diagnostic trials; study new tests or procedures that could help identify and diagnose cancer more accurately

• Quality of life/supportive care trials; test new ways to make the lives of patients and survivors more comfortable and reduce harsh side effects

New Developments• Researchers are constantly working on

ways to advance and make new cancer treatments

• Hyperthermia; the use of precise delivery of heat to kill cancer cells

• Stem Cell Transplant; peripheral blood, bone marrow, and core blood transplants which may treat cancer

• Photodynamic Therapy; the use of drugs called photosensitizing agents and use of light to kill cancer cells

New Developments (cont.)• Immunotherapy; helps use your own

immune system to fight off cancer• Targeted Therapy; uses drugs to more

accurately identify and attack cancer cells while harming normal cells less

• Laser Treatments; precise, powerful beams of light can be used instead of scalpels for careful surgical work

• These different treatments are becoming increasingly more common as more research goes into them

New Developments (cont.)

Treating Cancer with Electric Fields

Recent Developments

What's Next?• Researchers are constantly trying to

make cancer less prevalent in our society• Increase opportunities for cancer control• Develop methods to specifically express

genes that antagonize cancer development

• Continue exploration of advanced treatment technologies

• Increase the cure rate of cancer and lower the risk of developing cancer

• Expand efforts to improve global health

True or False?

Lung Cancer is the most common type of cancer.

True or False?

False! Prostate cancer has the highest number of new cases each year.

True or False?

The cancer death rate has been decreasing since 1990.

True or False?

True!

True or False?

Leukemia is one of the most common types of cancer found in children.

True or False?

True.

True or False?

Approximately 20 chemicals found in cigarettes are known to cause cancer.

True or False?

False! Approximately 70 are known to cause cancer.

True or False?

Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer.

True or False?

True.

True or False?

Approximately 850 men are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each year.

True or False?

False. Almost 2000 men are diagnosed annually in the US.

Sources• "Cancer Advances in Focus." Www.cancer.gov. National Cancer Institute, n.d. Web. 2 June 2013.• "5 Most Common Cancer Myths." 5 Most Common Cancer Myths. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 June 2013.• "Risk Factors." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 05 Feb. 2013.

Web. 4 June 2013.• "Skin Cancer in Children and Teenagers." - Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 June 2013.• US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 3 June 2013.• "Treatment Types." Treatment Types. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2013.• "Thyroid Cancer SURVIVOR – The Journey." Thyroid Cancer SURVIVOR The Journey. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 June 2013.• "National Cancer Institute." Cancer Genomics -. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013.• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 Jan. 2013. Web. 8 June 2013.• "Chemotherapy Effects." Nursing Crib RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 June 2013.