What are the top 10 breakthroughs in cancer research worldwide?

1. Immunotherapy: The development of immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as pembrolizumab and nivolumab, revolutionized cancer treatment by boosting the body’s immune response against cancer cells.

2. Precision medicine: Advances in genomics and molecular profiling have enabled researchers to target specific cancer mutations and develop personalized therapies.

3. CAR-T cell therapy: Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy has shown remarkable success in some blood cancers, by modifying a patient’s own T-cells to recognize and kill cancer cells.

4. Targeted therapies: The discovery and development of targeted drugs, like imatinib for chronic myeloid leukemia and trastuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer, have significantly improved treatment outcomes.

5. Liquid biopsy: A non-invasive technique that detects cancer-related genetic alterations in blood samples, allowing for early cancer detection, monitoring of treatment response, and identification of resistance mechanisms.

6. CRISPR gene editing: The CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system offers the potential to precisely edit cancer-associated genes, accelerating research into understanding cancer biology and developing new therapies.

7. Oncolytic viruses: The use of viruses to selectively target and kill cancer cells, as seen with the FDA approval of T-VEC (talimogene laherparepvec) for advanced melanoma treatment.

8. Cancer immunotherapy combinations: Combining different immunotherapies or immunotherapy with traditional treatments like chemotherapy has shown enhanced responses and improved survival rates in certain cancer types.

9. Liquid biopsies: A non-invasive technique that detects cancer-related genetic alterations in blood samples, allowing for early cancer detection, monitoring of treatment response, and identification of resistance mechanisms.

10. Artificial intelligence in cancer research: The application of AI and machine learning algorithms has facilitated accurate diagnosis, prediction of treatment responses, and identification of potential drug targets in cancer research.

It is important to note that the field of cancer research is constantly evolving, and breakthroughs may vary in importance depending on the cancer type and stage.