Healthy RGV Issue 113

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · APRIL 2018
BEYOND DRUGS:
The Other Breakthroughs
in Cancer Research
We usually associate cancer
research and clinical trials
with new cancer medicine.
But evidence-based
cancer care goes far
beyond providing drug therapies to patients.
Exciting research developments that are
unrelated to cancer medicines are improving
patients’ outcomes and quality of life.
Breakthroughs include technology to
improve cancer screening, ways to minimize
the side effects of cancer treatment, and
tools to determine best approaches for
treatment. We’re increasingly able to use
and analyze data to customize cancer care
for specific patients. Clinical research drives
each of these non-medicine advancements.
Better Prevention and Screening
01 Research that helps identify causes
and risk factors leads to better cancer
prevention. Better screening and earlier
detection enables physicians to treat cancer
sooner with greater success. Research is
underway to find better screening tools for a
variety of cancers.
One example of such research is already
making a difference. Mammograms
traditionally are the most reliable way to
discover breast abnormalities. Traditional
mammograms, however, are sometimes
unable to identify concerning areas in
women with dense breast tissue. Researchers
developed a newer technology called 3-D
mammography, which takes many lowdose
X-rays to create a three-dimensional
picture of the breast. Also called digital
tomosynthesis, the procedure helps doctors
locate and better examine suspicious areas
in dense breast tissue beyond traditional
mammograms.
Reduced Side Effects from
02 Cancer Treatment
Chemotherapy is the most common form
of cancer treatment. Unfortunately, the
treatment sometimes has negative side
effects, including nausea and hair loss.
Reducing side effects can improve patients’
quality of life. Many years ago, research that
developed better nausea medications now
has helped thousands of patients relieve
symptoms of this side effect and spurred
transferring most delivery of chemotherapy
from a hospital to an outpatient setting,
enabling patients to be more comfortable at
home with their families.
More recently, researchers developed a
“cooling cap” to combat chemo-induced
hair loss. The cooling cap reduces scalp
temperature to reduce the blood flow to
hair follicles before, during, and after chemo
treatment, which helps prevent hair loss.
Although currently FDA-approved for limited
cancer types, research indicates that about
half of patients who use a cooling cap will
successfully retain their hair through chemo
treatments.
More Precise Radiation
03 Treatment
Most people know that radiation therapy
often accompanies drug treatments such
as chemotherapy, but many don’t realize
that radiation therapy has ongoing clinical
trials too. Such research has improved
the precision of radiation beams to more
exactly target tumors and minimize damage
to surrounding tissues. Texas Oncology’s
participation in the Radiation Therapy
Oncology Group gives patients access to
many promising radiation trials.
Improved Patient Outcomes and
04 Experiences
Researchers comb mountains of data to
discern the most effective treatments and
patient experiences for specific types of
cancer. That research, in turn, benefits
many future patients. Texas Oncology
participates in evidence-based pathways,
which uses research and data to inform
doctors which therapeutic interventions
are most appropriate for each individual
patient’s case. For example, we now can
customize some treatments for breast
cancer patients based on how patients with
similar molecular profiling have responded to
certain approaches. By treating patients with
the right treatment at the right time, we can
improve outcomes.
Drug therapies will always be a vital part of
cancer care. But thanks to new research and
technology, cancer care continues to expand
beyond drugs to improve outcomes and
patient experiences.
GUILLERMO LAZO, M.D.
Guillermo Lazo, M.D., is a medical
oncologist at Texas Oncology—
McAllen, 1901 South 2nd Street, in
McAllen, Texas.
To learn more about exciting
advancements in cancer treatment,
visit www.TexasOncology.com
or call 1-888-864-I CAN (4226).
16 HEALTHY MAGAZINE