Breast cancer is a scourge on humankind, affecting over two million women worldwide each year.

While mortality rates have fallen over the past couple of decades, innovations in gene sequencing and targeted therapies have now allowed physicians to select highly precise and effective treatments for many breast cancer patients.

Genetic Testing is Revolutionizing Breast Cancer Treatment

Until recently, clinicians had limited ability to select the best treatment for a given patient.

However, with the increasing capability of genetic testing, medical professionals can now understand more about the patient’s tumor and predict how it’s going to behave. This knowledge makes selecting the right treatment type easier, increasing the efficiency of the patient’s care.

Targeted Therapy

The targeted therapy is specifically designed to target particular molecules that are involved in causing cancer growth.

While specific targeted therapies have already been developed and approved by FDA, scientists are still designing and conducting more studies for new targeted therapies with fewer side effects. These targeted therapies are progressively replacing traditional chemotherapy treatments.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is also a new class of cancer treatment that uses the patient’s immune system to destroy cancer cells.

The immune system has a unique ability to recognize and destroy abnormal cells, and scientists are developing ways to enhance this process with medication. The immunotherapy approach has already shown promising results in other types of cancer and is currently in the testing phase with breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Vaccines

Breast cancer vaccines are still in the experimental phase, but the results are promising. The vaccination works by training the patient’s immune system to identify and attack the cancer cells, similar to immunotherapy.

The breast cancer vaccine, TPIV200, has completed phase II clinical trials and has shown significant results, raising hopes for future breast cancer therapies.

Gene Editing Technologies

Gene editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9 are advancing rapidly and hold potential in breast cancer therapy. The CRISPR-Cas9 system can remove or add a gene from a patient’s DNA sequence, including the genes responsible for cancer.

The elimination or modification of an oncogene can prevent cancer development. While still in its experimental stages, gene editing holds the potential to be the treatment of the future for those with breast cancer.

Biomarker Testing

Biomarkers are either molecules or genetic alterations that are indicative of a patient’s conditions.

Since cancer cells are different from normal cells, they possess distinct biomarkers, which can alert doctors of a developing tumor or cancer growth. Doctors use biomarker testing to identify breast cancer patients who are most likely to respond to particular treatments, such as hormone therapy or chemotherapy.

Combining Therapies

The most promising groundbreaking treatment is likely to be a combination of all the therapies mentioned above, including radiation treatment and conventional chemotherapy. Combining multiple treatments maximizes the impact on the cancer cells.

Researchers are currently engaged in clinical trials to determine the efficiency and safety of each treatment method and how they combine together.

Conclusion

Breast cancer research and the resultant groundbreaking therapies have come a long way. The available techniques have transformed the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of breast cancer.

The genetics revolution has led to the development of an entirely new type of cancer treatment, personalized cancer care, which is an approach in which doctors develop treatment plans based on the patient’s genetic profile. This tailored approach can reduce risk to the patient and secondary complications.

The hope for the future is exponential when it comes to cancer therapy, and it might not be long until we discover the cure that eliminates one of the deadliest diseases worldwide.