Advancements in immunotherapy and personalized medicine have pushed the oncology field forward, according to leaders from MD Anderson and City of Hope who shared their insights with Becker's.
Question: Where has the industry made the most progress in the last five years?
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Peter Pisters, MD. President of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston): Immunotherapy has been at the center of cancer treatment advances in recent years. We have seen tremendous responses for many patients with immune checkpoint inhibitors, improving five-year survival for melanoma patients from 3% historically to 60% in a recent study. MD Anderson's James P. Allison Institute is continuing to expand our understanding of immunotherapy and immunobiology to bring the benefits of immunotherapy to more patients.
Building upon that foundation, we are also seeing very exciting progress in recent years with cell therapies, such as CAR-T cell therapies. Our experts are advancing new approaches, such as CAR NK cells and TCR-based therapies, broadening applications for cell therapies to many more patients. In our mission to end cancer, we are paving the way for more integrated and effective treatment and therapeutic modalities.
Jonathan Watkins. President of City of Hope Cancer Center (Atlanta): I've been extremely pleased with the tremendous progress in the advancement of cancer research, clinical trials and personalized medicine for cancer patients. With collaborative efforts taking place across the country among multiple healthcare organizations, the industry is focused on developing more innovative ways to fight cancer, including digital solutions and AI that could lead to more discoveries and treatment options.
Read about the best leadership advice these executives have received here, how they are tackling recruitment here and what they would change about the industry here.