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Therapeutic breakthroughs in oncology: Enhancing treatment and management
Abstract
Recent advancements in oncology have significantly transformed cancer treatment and care management, offering new hope to patients worldwide. This literature review examines key therapeutic breakthroughs, including targeted therapies, immunotherapies, personalized medicine, and innovative drug delivery systems. These cutting-edge interventions have enhanced patient outcomes, improving survival rates and quality of life, but they have also introduced complexities in managing emerging side effects, care coordination, and resource allocation. This review discusses the implications of these therapies on patient care, the ethical considerations they entail, the management of side effects, and the pivotal role of oncology nurses in administering and managing these treatments. By exploring the current landscape and future directions of oncology therapies, including areas such as cancer vaccines and precision medicine, this article provides a comprehensive understanding of how these innovations are shaping the future of cancer care.
Keywords: oncology, targeted therapies, immunotherapies, personalized medicine, drug delivery systems
10.5737/23688076354590
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Tenner, L., & Helft, P. R. (2013). Ethical challenges in oncology, explored through a series of vignettes. Oncology, 27(2), 87–90.
The University of Kansas Cancer Center (2024). New prostate cancer treatment approach slows progression. https://www.kucancercenter.org/news-room/news/2024/06/prostate-cancer-treatment-slows-progression
Unger, J. M., Cook, E., Tai, E., & Bleyer, A. (2016). The role of clinical trial participation in cancer research: Barriers, evidence, and strategies. American Society of Clinical Oncology educational book. American Society of Clinical Oncology. Annual Meeting, 35, 185–198. https://doi.org/10.1200/EDBK_156686
Weintraub, K. (2022, November 13). New cancer therapy takes personalized medicine to a new level. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-11-cancer-therapy-personalized-medicine.html
World Economic Forum. (2024). 11 new breakthroughs in the fight against cancer. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/07/cancer-treatment-and-diagnosis-breakthroughs/
Yang, Q., Guo, N., Zhou, Y., Chen, J., Wei, Q., & Han, M. (2020). The role of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in tumor progression and relevant advance in targeted therapy. Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B, 10(11), 2156–2170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2020.04.004American Association of Cancer Research (2024). Cancer research catalyst. https://www.aacr.org/professionals/blog/
American Cancer Society (2-24).Targeted cancer therapy | Targeted drug therapy for cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/targeted-therapy/what-is.html
American Society of Clinical Oncology (2024). New cancer research impacting treatment, prevention, early diagnosis. (2024, June 1). https://society.asco.org/about-asco/press-center/news-releases/new-cancer-research-impacting-treatment-prevention-early
American Society of Hemotolgy (2023). A promising outlook: CAR T cells improve patient quality of life. https://www.hematology.org/newsroom/press-releases/2023/a-promising-outlook-car-t-cells-improve-patient-quality-of-life
Association of Community Cancer Centers. (2024, May 29). Oncology nurses: The heart of cancer care. ACCC Buzz. https://www.accc-cancer.org/acccbuzz/blog-post-template/accc-buzz/2024/05/29/oncology-nurses-the-heart-of-cancer-care
Ayala Ceja, M., Khericha, M., Harris, C. M., et al. (2024). Autologous CAR-T cell manufacturing. J Exp Med., 221(1).
Cancer.gov (2023). Transforming NCI cancer clinical trials. (2023, April 14). https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2023/transforming-nci-cancer-clinical-trials
Cancer.gov (2024). Targeted therapy drug list by cancer type. (2024, July 16). https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/targeted-therapies/approved-drug-list.
Chehelgerdi, M., Chehelgerdi, M., Allela, O. Q. B., Pecho, R. D. C., Jayasankar, N., Rao, D. P., Thamaraikani, T., Vasanthan, M., Viktor, P., Lakshmaiya, N., Saadh, M. J., Amajd, A., Abo-Zaid, M. A., Castillo-Acobo, R. Y., Ismail, A. H., Amin, A. H., & Akhavan-Sigari, R. (2023). Progressing nanotechnology to improve targeted cancer treatment: overcoming hurdles in its clinical implementation. Molecular Cancer, 22(1), 169. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-023-01865-0
Crico, C., Sanchini, V., Casali, P. G., & Pravettoni, G. (2022). Ethical issues in oncology practice: A qualitative study of stakeholders’ experiences and expectations. BMC Medical Ethics, 23(1), 67. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-022-00803-x
DePeaux, K., Rivadeneira, D. B., Lontos, K., Dean, V. G., Gunn, W. G., Watson, M. J., Yao, T., Wilfahrt, D., Hinck, C., Wieteska, L., Thorne, S. H., Hinck, A. P., & Delgoffe, G. M. (2023). An oncolytic virus-delivered TGF? inhibitor overcomes the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 220(10), e20230053. https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20230053
DIA Global Forum. (2024). Cancer treatment: Advances in the 20th and 21st Centuries. https://globalforum.diaglobal.org/issue/april-2024/cancer-treatment-advances-in-the-20th-and-21st-centuries/
Foy, S. P., Jacoby, K., Bota, D. A., Hunter, T., Pan, Z., Stawiski, E., Ma, Y., Lu, W., Peng, S., Wang, C. L., Yuen, B., Dalmas, O., Heeringa, K., Sennino, B., Conroy, A., Bethune, M. T., Mende, I., White, W., Kukreja, M., Gunturu, S., … Mandl, S. J. (2023). Non-viral precision T cell receptor replacement for personalized cell therapy. Nature, 615(7953), 687–696. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05531-1
Gambardella, V., Tarazona, N., Cejalvo, J. M., Lombardi, P., Huerta, M., Roselló, S., Fleitas, T., Roda, D., & Cervantes, A. (2020). Personalized medicine: Recent progress in cancer therapy. Cancers, 12(4), 1009. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12041009
Hantel, A., Walsh, T. P., Marron, J. M., Kehl, K. L., Sharp, R., Van Allen, E., & Abel, G. A. (2024). Perspectives of oncologists on the ethical implications of using artificial intelligence for cancer care. JAMA Network Open, 7(3), e244077. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.4077
Hoeben, A., Joosten, E. A. J., & van den Beuken-van Everdingen, M. H. J. (2021). Personalized medicine: Recent progress in cancer therapy. Cancers, 13(2), 242. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13020242
Osman, A. E. G., & Deininger, M. W. (2021). Chronic myeloid leukemia: Modern therapies, current challenges and future directions. Blood Reviews, 49, 100825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.blre.2021.100825
Oncology Nursing Society. (2021, April 6). New guidelines in cancer care. ONS Voice. https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/new-guidelines-in-cancer-care
Lyu, X. C., Jiang, H. J., Lee, L. H., Yang, C. I., & Sun, X. Y. (2024). Oncology nurses’ experiences of providing emotional support for cancer patients: a qualitative study. BMC Nursing, 23(1), 58. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01718-1
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (2020). Quality Cancer Care. https://canceradvocacy.org/policy/quality-cancer-care/
Pancholi, N. J. (2024b, February 2). Experts forecast 2024, Part 1: Advances in cancer vaccines – American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). https://www.aacr.org/blog/2024/01/08/experts-forecast-cancer-research-and-treatment-advances-in-2024-part-1/
Peng, V., Trsan, T., Sudan, R., Bhattarai, B., Cortez, V. S., Molgora, M., Vacher, J., & Colonna, M. (2024). Inositol phosphatase INPP4B sustains ILC1s and intratumoral NK cells through an AKT-driven pathway. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 221(3), e20230124. https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20230124
Peter, R. M. (2024, June 10). ASCO 2024: The latest advances in oncology clinical trials. Labiotech.eu. https://www.labiotech.eu/in-depth/asco-2024-latest-advances-in-oncology-clinical-trials/
Rulten, S. L., Grose, R. P., Gatz, S. A., Jones, J. L., & Cameron, A. J. M. (2023). The future of precision oncology. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(16), 12613. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241612613
Staff, C. R. C. (2024, June 28). FDA approvals in oncology: January-March 2024 | AACR. American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). https://www.aacr.org/blog/2024/04/03/fda-approvals-in-oncology-january-march-2024/
Sun, C., España, S., Richarz, N., Solé-Blanch, C., Boada, A., Martinez-Cardús, A., Chu, A., Liu, Z., & Manzano, J. L. (2024). Targeted therapy or immunotherapy in BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma: A Spanish center’s decade of experience. Frontiers in Oncology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2024.1322116
Tenner, L., & Helft, P. R. (2013). Ethical challenges in oncology, explored through a series of vignettes. Oncology, 27(2), 87–90.
The University of Kansas Cancer Center (2024). New prostate cancer treatment approach slows progression. https://www.kucancercenter.org/news-room/news/2024/06/prostate-cancer-treatment-slows-progression
Unger, J. M., Cook, E., Tai, E., & Bleyer, A. (2016). The role of clinical trial participation in cancer research: Barriers, evidence, and strategies. American Society of Clinical Oncology educational book. American Society of Clinical Oncology. Annual Meeting, 35, 185–198. https://doi.org/10.1200/EDBK_156686
Weintraub, K. (2022, November 13). New cancer therapy takes personalized medicine to a new level. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-11-cancer-therapy-personalized-medicine.html
World Economic Forum. (2024). 11 new breakthroughs in the fight against cancer. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/07/cancer-treatment-and-diagnosis-breakthroughs/
Yang, Q., Guo, N., Zhou, Y., Chen, J., Wei, Q., & Han, M. (2020). The role of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in tumor progression and relevant advance in targeted therapy. Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B, 10(11), 2156–2170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2020.04.004
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