The oncologist spoke about cancer treatment technologies

Yulia Mikheeva, Ph.D., Head of the Department of Oncology and Antitumor Drug Therapy at the FSAU NMIC Medical and Rehabilitation Center of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, spoke about modern cancer treatment technologies.

In an interview with the Health Mail on Thursday, January 29, she noted that even 10 years ago, diagnoses such as melanoma or late-stage lung cancer were often perceived as a verdict. Today, oncology is experiencing a real breakthrough. According to the doctor, modern medicine is increasingly teaching the patient's immune system to recognize and destroy the tumor on its own.

According to her, in the 21st century, cancer treatment has shifted from universal schemes to a personalized approach based on the molecular and genetic characteristics of the tumor. Genetic tests make it possible to identify cancer vulnerabilities and use targeted drugs, which has already significantly improved the prognosis for a number of diseases, including breast and lung cancer.

The specialist called immunotherapy a separate breakthrough. This method does not destroy the tumor directly, but activates the immune system, helping it to "see" cancer cells. According to Mikheeva, in her practice there are patients with melanoma, lung and bladder cancer who, thanks to immunotherapy, have been living in stable remission for years.

The next stage in the development of oncology, as the expert noted, was gene and cell therapy. CAR-T treatment, in which the patient's own immune cells are reprogrammed to fight the tumor, has already demonstrated high effectiveness in aggressive leukemias and lymphomas. Bispecific antibodies capable of "bringing together" an immune cell and a tumor also remain a promising direction.

Mikheeva emphasized that oncology is changing rapidly, and the future of treatment lies with combined approaches and the availability of modern technologies that are already saving lives and giving patients hope.

The connecting link: scientists have accelerated the search for effective cancer drugs

How the new technique will minimize side effects

On January 22, a new drug for the treatment of cancer was registered in Russia. As noted by 360.ru , the drug "Rakurs, 223Ra" has already performed more than 600 cycles of therapy. Clinical observation data confirm its high therapeutic efficacy.

Oncologist Sergey Ivanov told the website on January 20 kp.ru that cancer of the gastrointestinal tract in the early stages proceeds without vivid symptoms, and the disease disguises itself as ordinary fatigue. Early signs of the disease include iron deficiency anemia, dull pain in the upper abdomen after eating, heartburn, difficulty swallowing, persistent subfebrile fever, general weakness and weight loss, writes RT.

On January 15, physiotherapist Nikolai Vasiliev told Izvestia that low-dose computed tomography (CT) allows detecting lung diseases in the early stages and at the same time reduces the radiation burden on the patient compared to conventional CT. It is used primarily for the early diagnosis of lung cancer, but the possibilities of the method are not limited to this.

On January 14, the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA) said that the radionuclide radium-223 is at the heart of the development of the drug Rakurs 223Ra, it is intended for the treatment of certain types of oncological diseases. The first batch has already been delivered to medical institutions in Russia, according to NSN.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.