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It is no secret that great strides continue to be made in cancer treatment, but probably the most notable publicized development of 2023 thus far has been the evolution of the treatment mindset that, at least for some cancers, "aggressive" might not necessarily be better.
For many cancer patients, that might have been welcome news when that information was first delivered, although some patients might have preferred to remain skeptical regarding such a course of care.
Study findings published on March 11 in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested many prostate cancer patients with low- or moderate-grade localized cancer could choose surveillance over radical treatments such as surgery or radiation without compromising quality of life or longevity.
Matthew Smith, director of the Genitourinary Malignancies Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, responded to the study result by saying in the Wall Street Journal that the length and breadth of the study confirms surveillance is sufficient to manage early-stage prostate cancer for many patients.
-- Research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference revealed some patients with cervical and pancreatic cancer can do as well with less invasive surgery. According to a report in the June 6 Journal, the findings expand a body of evidence doctors are using to develop treatment plans aimed at reducing side effects and costs.
Doctors call the strategy de-escalation, which involves cutting back on some therapies to improve a patient's quality of life without hurting the person's odds of survival.
A study published June 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine showed patients with low-grade gliomas who took the drug vorasidenib after surgery staved off cancer growth for more than twice as long as patients who did not take the drug.
"The median time without spread for patients on the drug stretched beyond two years, and the drug reduced the risk of cancer progression or death by 61% in the 331-person study," said the drug's manufacturer, Servier Pharmaceuticals.
Early detection still provides the best odds for survival, but even if a malignancy is diagnosed somewhat later, more ways to battle it exist now than ever before -- some of them less aggressive but just as effective.