Facing the Cancer Revolution

Immunotherapy for cancer is the artificial activation of your body's immune system to battle cancer, enhancing the body's natural capacity to fight off the disease. It's a medical application of an emerging field of oncology and the basic research of cancer immunology. Immunotherapy may involve the administration of drugs directly to the site of cell activity or it may work by encouraging your own body's immune cells to attack the cancerous cells. This may be undertaken in conjunction with traditional therapy

Of the two methods, chemotherapy seems to be the more popular choice for patients suffering from solid cancers, particularly those with breast, cervical, or lung cancers. Although chemotherapy is successful in removing all traces of cancer cells, it also leaves many patients with some long-term side effects, such as hair loss, nausea, vomiting, and nausea. These can lead to the temptation to try alternative therapies, such as immunotherapy for cancer. But although this therapy is relatively new, and relatively new technology has brought it to us, it can be very risky and even deadly, for certain patients. So why would anyone want to consider this route?

The major benefit of immunotherapy for cancer involves boosting the immune checkpoints, which are protein complexes that serve as gateways between the body's defense systems and cancer cells. When these checkpoints are compromised, the immune defense systems can no longer protect the body from invading viruses and bacteria. As a result, the cancer cells can easily take over. By boosting their defenses, antibodies can then attack these invading agents, and the invasion of these alien cells can be stopped.

Unlike chemotherapy, immunotherapy has very few long-term side effects, although there may be some minor ones associated with the administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors. On the other hand, conventional therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation, come with a huge price tag, and many people simply cannot afford them. Also, chemotherapy is not a cure, it is only a treatment. Once you stop the treatment, the cancer will continue to grow. And in the case of advanced cancers, it can also kill healthy cells, which leads to further infections, and ultimately, a fatal disease.

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Our panel this week help us to explore the advances in different fields of cancer treatments including Immunotherapy, Chemo/Radiotherapy and discover the opportunities we have to fight Cance.

This podcast offers our listeners an interactive opportunity for curious minds from across the globe to come together around the big opportunities for new industries, smarter health solutions, and a better world.

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• What is liver cancer and what typically causes it? 
• How much of your liver can you actually live without?
• What treatment options are available and what is on the forefront of liver cancer treatment today? 

Each year, over 500,000 new cases of #livercancer are diagnosed across the world and its estimated that over 390,000 people will die from this disease each year. Since 1981, Liver cancer rates have tripled most likely due to increased rates of #fattyliver, #hepatitisC and #hepatitisB. 

Join us as we explore these questions and many more in the latest episode. We will discuss the underlying risk factors and liver cancer, the need to know your liver test results, and not ignore subtle abnormalities HCC.

Liver cancer is one of the growing public health concerns that we have been speaking about for years is related to the obesity epidemic which resulted in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a leading cause of liver cancer. if Left untreated, liver cancer is universally fatal.

Being aware of your risk factors, and getting early intervention, can lead to an excellent outcome.

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In this episode we discuss liver cancer, particularly (HCC) hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. The podcast also touches on focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver and haemangiomas of the liver.

This episode covers the pathophysiology, presentation of HCC, diagnosis, complications and management of liver cancer.

Liver cancer is a disease of the liver and can be a difficult one to detect in the early stages. It falls under the category of cancer that originates from the epithelial cells that form the liver. Cancer cells grow and divide rapidly while the rest of the cells are unable to divide and grow. The result is that the cancerous cells grow rapidly and form tumors. It is a common misconception that liver cancer is only the result of a virus. In fact, the most common cause of liver cancer is cirrhosis, which is the result of chronic liver disease.

There are three stages of liver cancer, each of which causes a different type of cancer. Stage I is not a cancer at all, but rather a normal tissue growth called a hemangioma. Stage II and III are both tumors. The differences between these cancers are that the first is a low-grade tumor that can usually be surgically removed, while the second has an aggressive, life-threatening nature. The third stage, however, is what causes liver cancer to be referred to as stage IV, or metastatic. The symptoms of liver cancer are the same as the symptoms of other types of cancer. But in this case, it is liver cell death rather than a clinical condition that affects the liver.  A person experiencing any of the symptoms of liver cancer should consult their doctor right away.

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Molecular biomarkers are characteristics of a tumor that can, in some cases, be used to help make decisions about therapies. Biomarker testing is now available to lung cancer patients including tests for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation analysis.

Researcher from the San Diego Cancer Center clinical oncology gives us a comprehensive overview of biomarkers in lung cancer today, and of the new and exciting targeted treatments both on the market now and in clinical trials. We discusses the importance of getting a biopsy on a tumor so that you'll have enough tissue for molecular testing now and in the future as new biomarkers are discovered. 

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The stem cell theory of cancer proposes that among all cancerous cells, a few act as stem cells that reproduce themselves and sustain the cancer, Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) are a small subpopulation of cells within tumors with capabilities of self-renewal, differentiation, and tumorigenicity.

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