Pancreatic cancer is a serious and often deadly disease. Fortunately, there have been significant breakthroughs in treatment in recent years. Here are three of the most promising new treatments for pancreatic cancer.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that harnesses the power of the immune system to fight cancer cells. The idea behind immunotherapy is to give patients’ immune systems a boost so that they can better recognize and destroy cancer cells. One promising new immunotherapy treatment for pancreatic cancer is called “checkpoint blockade therapy.” This therapy works by blocking proteins that act as “checkpoints” on immune cells. By removing these checkpoints, checkpoint blockade therapy allows the immune system to better recognize and attack cancer cells.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that targets specific molecules that play a role in the growth and spread of cancer cells. One targeted therapy that shows promise for treating pancreatic cancer is called “vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitors.” This therapy works by targeting and inhibiting a molecule called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF plays an important role in the growth of new blood vessels, and it has been shown to be abnormally active in some types of cancer cells, including pancreatic cancer cells. Inhibiting VEGF with targeted therapy can help to shrink tumors and slow the growth and spread of cancer cells.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery
Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a type of radiation therapy that uses high doses of radiation to target specific areas within the body. SRS can be used to treat, small pancreatic tumors that have not spread to other parts of the body, and it has been shown to be effective in prolonging patients’ survival rates.
Pancreatic cancer is a serious and deadly disease, but there have been significant breakthroughs in treatment in recent years. New immunotherapy and targeted therapies show promise for treating pancreatic cancer, and stereotactic radiosurgery can be used to effectively treat small tumors that have not spread to other parts of the body. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, talk to your doctor about these new breakthrough treatments.
Share this information with everyone you know so that more people can benefit from these potentially life-saving therapies.