European Cancer Congress 2013 – Oncology and innovation
07.10.13
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to take part in the European Cancer Congress, which brings together leaders in oncology from across Europe to share the latest developments in cancer research. This year’s event was among the biggest yet, with 17,000 participants from various fields, including a strong showing from patient groups. We’ve made remarkable gains in cancer treatments in the past decades, and improvements in cancer care have allowed for great improvements in patient care and survivorship. And there is more to come: There are now more than 5,000 medicines in the biopharmaceutical pipeline, including more than 3,000 potential medicines for cancer patients. Seventy percent of medicines in the pipeline are potential first-in-class medicines, which can help patients with serious unmet medical needs; among cancer drugs in development, 80 percent are potential first-in-class treatments.
Oncology is one area where we have made amazing progress in innovation – and there is more to come, as was clear from the abstracts presented this year and the discussions taking place. The progress we’ve made has been largely due to the increasingly multidisciplinary approach research has taken. In his welcome message, ECCO President Cornelis van de Velde emphasised this fact, noting that this year’s event was the largest multidisciplinary platform for advancing oncology to take place in Europe, ever – a point he stressed as important not because ‘bigger is better’ but because ‘multidisciplinarity really is best’. I couldn’t agree more. Incorporating fields like big data and genomics into our research has allowed us to expand our views on where solutions to cancer care can be found. Two promising areas where innovation has seen great progress:
Immunotherapies – One of the frustrating facts about cancer is the fact that the human immune system doesn’t seem to recognise it as “bad”– when the immune system detects a virus, it will try to fight it off; but it doesn’t naturally do the same for cancer. “Immunotherapies” – sometimes called biological therapies or biotherapies – seek to change this: These are based on drugs that harness the body’s immune system to fight tumors, potentially prolonging the lives of patients with certain types of cancer. Today, immunotherapy drugs are already being used to treat a variety of cancers, including prostrate, breast, bladder, kidney and lung.
Targeted Medicines -Researchers are also making great progress in tailoring drugs to match genetic mutations in specific tumours, developing so-called “targeted medicines.” We already have targeted medicines for an advanced skin cancer, recently approved by the European Medicines Agency, developed after scientists learned that a particular gene mutation drives tumour growth in about 50% of patients with malignant melanoma. We have also seen progress in targeted medicines for specific types of breast cancer, among others.
By continuing to explore treatment paths like these, we can develop more effective medicines; these in turn can help reduce hospitalizations, procedures and acute and chronic care, saving money for patients and healthcare systems. But the ultimate goal – and real gain – lies with the millions of patients and their loved ones who benefit from such improved care.
More Information:
Ecco – Esmo – Estro European Cancer Congress “Reinforcing Multidisciplinarity” Amsterdam 26 September to October 1 2013: http://www.ecco-org.eu
