According to the World Health Organization, there were close to 7 million deaths worldwide from the COVID-19 virus, with 1.1 million of those deaths occurring in the US. People with chronic health conditions and weakened immunity are still vulnerable.
The good news is that the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has ended and people are happily out and about, and doing the things they enjoy. Nearly 70% of the U.S. population has been vaccinated and treatments are also readily available to reduce the severity of the disease, should someone become ill. However, the bad news is that cancer remains a serious health threat for many Americans.
According to the American Cancer Society, a little over 1.9 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in the US in 2023, with approximately 610,000 deaths expected by the end of the year. Cancer remains the second most common cause of death in the US, exceeded only by heart disease.
Everyone is at risk of developing cancer, although the incidence increases greatly with age. Risk is also increased by certain factors, such as smoking, obesity, drinking and an unhealthy diet. In the US, an estimated 41 out of 100 men and 39 out of 100 women will develop cancer during their lifetime, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
According to the American Cancer Society, substantial progress has been made against cancer in recent decades. The best measure of this progress is the change in mortality rates. The overall age-adjusted cancer death rate rose during most of the 20th century, mainly because of the prevalence of smoking. As of 2020, however, the rate had dropped by 33%, mostly because of the decline in smoking, advances in treatment, as well as screening measures and early detection for certain cancers.
The decline in the mortality rate translates into 3.8 million fewer cancer deaths from 1991 to 2020, largely driven by progress against the four most common types of cancer: lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate.
At this juncture, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, while cancer of the prostate holds that distinction for men. For both women and men, colon cancer has the second highest incidence.
In the US, in 2023, invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in an estimated 297,790 women with an estimated 43,700 deaths. As for Prostate cancer, an estimated 288,300 new cases will be diagnosed, and 34,700 men will die from the disease. The incidence of prostate cancer is more than 70% higher in black men than in white men for reasons that remain unclear.
Fortunately, the past few years have brought about some important developments in cancer treatment, including immunotherapy and stem cell treatment. Immunotherapy is the process of introducing an immune stimulant into a patient, with the goal of boosting the patient’s immune system sufficiently enough to fight the cancer. Stem cell transplants, on the other hand, provide healthy blood-forming stem cells through an IV, which can then take the place of cells that are damaged or destroyed. These new blood-forming stem cells are important because they grow into different types of blood cells, such as white cells, which help restore the immune system, or red cells, which carry oxygen to vital organs, and even platelets, which are necessary to dissolve blood clots.
To elaborate on these promising developments, The Messenger reached out to Dr. Bhoomi Mehrotra, the Chair of Cancer Services for Catholic Health Services, and the Director of The Cancer Institute at St. Francis Hospital.
When discussing immunotherapy, Dr. Mehrotra said that “immunotherapy has changed the face of cancer treatment.” He went on to explain a little more about immunotherapy. Specifically, the immune stimulant, typically a monochromic antibody, similar but chemically different from what is used to treat COVID, can:
- Remove the ability of cancer cells to hide, or in other words, dissolve its camouflage
- Then seek, attack and destroy cancer cells
Dr. Mehrotra also pointed out that while immunotherapy has been around for quite some time, the ability to control it has improved dramatically. When questioned where immunotherapy is currently being utilized, Dr. Mehrotra responded it is currently being used to treat lung, breast and some colon or rectal cancers.
Moving on to discuss stem cell therapy, Dr. Mehrotra explained that stem cells can be obtained in one of two methods. They can be “harvested from the patient’s bloodstream or donated by a compatible individual.” The cells are then introduced into the patient. In some cases, a specialized gene can be injected into the stem cell prior to treatment, giving it special cancer fighting properties. This special gene therapy is still evolving, and its application is not limited to cancer, but other hematological conditions as well.
Dr. Mehrotra went on to discuss how immunotherapy and stem cell treatments work with conventional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, surgery or radiation. Although it is difficult to generalize, Dr. Mehrotra explained how with breast cancer, it is not uncommon for immunotherapy to be a primary treatment, or used in conjunction with chemotherapy in a treatment plan. As for treating lung cancer, patients have shown better outcomes when stem cell treatment is provided following surgery, or as maintenance therapy. In all cases, the patient’s medical oncologist and the entire interdisciplinary team, including the surgeon, radiologist, pathologist and other specialists will collaborate and formulate what they feel is the best treatment plan for each individual patient.
The advances discussed above mark a turning point in the treatment of cancer using more holistic remedies, such as immunotherapy and stem cell implantation. Clinical studies continue to provide more data to support medical decision making. In the meantime, prevention remains a high priority.
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) continues to warn of the risk factors of cancer, specifically smoking, the use of e-cigarette and weight gain. The medical community at large continues to support a healthy diet and regular exercise to maintain a healthy immune system. Taking steps to mediate stress is also very important.
