Cancer treatments are innovative, individualized, and improve patient survival.
Just 10 years ago, most cancer treatments worked by killing fast-replicating cancer cells in hope that healthy cells would survive. “Today, rather than differentiating treatments based on rapid cell growth, we look at mutation patterns and target the specific mutations that turned the cells into cancer,” says Steven Paulson, M.D., medical oncologist and president and chairman of the board at Texas Oncology. “Innovative treatments, such as immunotherapy and precision medicine, are significant advances that have improved the longevity of those with cancer, as well as their quality of life.”
Precision medicine uses information about genetic changes in the tumor to inform which treatment will work best for an individual. Mutations that turn healthy cells into cancerous cells are targeted, resulting in treatments that only destroy bad cells without harming the good ones. Immunotherapy is an innovative form of targeted cancer therapy that boosts a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer at the cellular level. Unlike traditional cancer treatments that target tumor cells, immunotherapy drugs boost the body’s defense mechanisms to attack cancer cells, stop or slow their growth, or limit the cancer’s ability to spread.
Dr. Paulson predicts therapies like this will only continue to improve. And Texas—specifically Dallas—will be a major player in these cancer care advancements. “Texas has excellent cancer care, and when you look at Dallas’ overall survival rates, they are much better than the national average,” Dr. Paulson says.
Through its robust research program, Texas Oncology is addressing scientific challenges to identify better ways to treat, diagnose, and prevent cancer. Texas Oncology has helped develop more than 100 FDA-approved cancer therapies through research and clinical trials.
For more information about leading-edge cancer treatments visit TexasOncology.com.
Texas Oncology
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