Contemporary cancer therapy

Abstract

On the Public Health scenario globally the major issues in provision of effective care from ‘Precision Medicine to Precision Care’ that need urgent solutions include ‘Antimicrobial resistance to negate the estimated death of 10 million individuals annually due to Antimicrobial Resistance by 2050’, and ‘Understanding of Cancer Biology with consequent complete cure in Cancer’ and translation care with patient centered approach. Besides an impetus for prioritising ‘Preventive Medicine’ in both communicable and non-communicable diseases is needed. The laudable 'Sustainable Development Goal target' of reducing maternal mortality to 70/100,000 live births by 2030 from the current 216/100,000 is feasible due to collective efforts. We look forward to similarly tackling both the problems of antimicrobial resistance and cancer cure. In the editorial we focus on the success of Contemporary approach to Cancer Care for individual patients indicating the use and efficacy of US FDA approved and globally implemented targeted treatment. Cancer is still an enigma both to the patients and to a considerable extent to the oncologists, due to its biological complexity and extreme heterogeneity in treatment responses in patients. The bane of cancer is metastasis of the cancer cells to distant organs introducing uncertainties in cancer cure. Over the past several years, a next generation of cancer treatment targeted to the molecular pathology of cancer has made a difference in cancers of lung, colorectal, breast, pancreas, brain, gasterointestinal, head and neck cancers including oral cancer, kidney, lymphoma, melanoma, mesothelioma, prostate, thyroid, leukemia and myeloma, tailored to an individual patient's tumor. The approach takes into account individual variability in the genes, environment and lifestyle, and this will enhance evidence informed decision making. Targeted molecular therapy is designed to treat cancer by interrupting unique molecular abnormalities that drive cancer growth. The drugs used in targeted therapy are designed to interfere with a specific biochemical pathway central to the development, growth and spread of the Dhananjaya Saranath and Aparna Khanna