In an interview, the president of the European Cancer Congress taking place in Berlin until October 21st shares his hopes regarding medical advances for this disease, which affects 20 million people worldwide each year and kills nearly 10 million.
The annual congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) is being held until October 21st in Berlin. Bringing together nearly 30,000 participants, it now rivals its American counterpart, the American Society of Clinical Oncology congress held in June in Chicago. The President of ESMO and Director of Research outlines the latest innovations in cancer treatment.
A major advance concerns early-stage cancers. Three international clinical trials presented on Saturday, October 18th, raise hopes of curing more patients with cancers still localized in the breast or bladder. This is thanks to a new class of drugs, “antibody-drug conjugates,” which until now were indicated for cancers that had already metastasized.
The result of biotechnological engineering, these innovative drugs consist of an antibody coupled with a compound toxic to cells (a chemotherapy drug). The antibody, a targeted missile, will seek out and target tumor cells; it binds to a receptor molecule overexpressed on their surface, is then internalized into these cells, where it delivers the cytotoxic compound. This promises greater efficacy and specificity.