Advances in cancer research

US approves groundbreaking method to attack cancer  

 

A new way to fight cancer is described as the most promising breakthrough in a decade, writes Axios. Put simply, the treatment method, which is called TIL, involves the body's own cells fighting the tumor.  

Last week, for the first time in history, the FDA gave the green light for a TIL treatment for skin cancer. The hope is that the method can also soon be used for other forms of cancer. 

 

- This is just the beginning of what TIL can contribute to the healthcare of the future, says Patrick Hwu, CEO of a cancer hospital in Florida. 

TIL has been around since 1988 but has not been widely used. The question, however, is how many will be able to afford the treatment in the near term. The price tag is the highest for any cell-based therapy in the United States: $515,000, over SEK 5.3 million.

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"Guided missiles" new hope in the fight against cancer  

The pharmaceutical giants invest several billion dollars in developing treatments that can attack cancer tumors like "guided missiles", writes the WSJ.  

The area that has come the farthest and received the most attention is so-called antibody-drug conjugates, which help deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to tumors.  

But quietly, the radiopharmaceutical method is also gaining ground, which has led to an increased number of corporate deals and soaring share prices in the sector. Instead of antibodies, small target-seeking molecules are used here that can get into the cancer cells. Eli Lilly and Bristol-Myers Squeeb have recently acquired companies in the field.  

Astra Zeneca is also developing a treatment based on the technology, and states that the hope is to eventually be able to replace chemothera