Cancer Clinical Trials 2023

What Are Cancer Clinical Trials?

Cancer is a condition whereby standard cell division is interrupted or altered causing cells to grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body.

The growth of these mutated cells causes various conditions like lymphomas, leukemias, sarcomas, and carcinomas. Cancer is the umbrella term for these various conditions and comprises multiple diseases.

Cancer clinical trials refer to research or studies performed by medical health professionals to test new treatments, diagnosis methodologies, curative procedures, and ways to manage these conditions. The trials can be undertaken by patients with all types of cancers at any stage.

Why Is Cancer Being Studied Through Clinical Trials?

Cancer is a prevalent and deadly condition. Cancers are also one of the most prevalent causes of death, with almost 10,000 deaths recorded for patients with cancer in 2020 alone. It's also estimated that over 18 million people were diagnosed in 2020. Medical professionals can treat the early stages of cancer more effectively. However, later stages (II, II, or IV) have a progressively worse prognosis for patients.

Researchers need to perform clinical trials to better understand what triggers mutations, how cancer is formed and spread within the body, and how to treat, prevent, and manage the condition. It’s essential to study the condition to gather more information on it in the hopes of curing and preventing it in future patients.

The most common clinical trials for cancer are diagnostic trials. They use imaging, scanning, and blood tests to find better ways of diagnosing patients and understanding the diagnostic process.

Other trials include those using radiation to shrink or eliminate cancer cells; behavioral therapies to help cancer patients improve their overall well-being and manage their condition; and new medications drugs to stunt tumor growth or eliminate it.

What Are The Types of Treatments Available For Cancer?

Various treatments are available for cancer, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy, stem cell transplants, targeted therapy and surgery. The types of treatment available depend on the type of cancer and how advanced it is.

Some people with cancer will only have one treatment, but many have a combination of treatments such as surgery with chemotherapy.

What Are Some Recent Breakthrough Clinical Trials For Cancer?

There have been some incredible breakthroughs in cancer research in the last few years alone. Notably, there are two studies from 2023 that have significantly advanced the field of cancer research:

2023: Immunotherapy Treatment – A New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center trial revealed that using an immunotherapy drug (dostarlimab) may help eliminate rectal adenocarcinomas. Dostarlimab was initially designed for patients with endometrial cancers. All twelve patients diagnosed with stage II and III rectal cancers had a 100% success rate and were in remission after using the treatment for six months.

2023: Genomic Research – Researchers from the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals analyzed the genomic make-up and data from over 12,000 cancer patients. By studying each patient's genes and their cancer mutation patterns, researchers could identify nearly 60 individual mutational signatures. This is the most extensive genomic study on the condition to date.