Lung cancer. What should we do?

Lung cancer is the most dangerous type of cancer. The prognosis is very bad and there is no any efficient treatment. Radiotherapy, surgery and chemotherapy unfortunately cannot provide desired outcome. There are different approaches how to handle the situation:

1.       Continuation of the search for new chemotherapeutic options – just simply try to find out a new drug molecule that can beat lung cancer regardless  type of the lung cancer – NSCLC, SCLC or any other known or unknown types.

2.       Improvement of diagnostic/detection technique to start treatment earlier and in such a way improve the chances for successful treatment.

3.       To design personalized medicine against lung cancer.

I do agree with the importance of the 1^st and the 2^nd approaches – here we have more chances for success and here we would concentrate more resources.

With the 3^rd approach we simply state that we are caught in the trap of vicious lock-key hypothesis which works very bad in oncological field.

“A major goal of lung cancer treatment is to tailor the treatment to the individual," says Dr Fiona Blackhall from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, UK. "The studies that will be presented at ELCC 2012 are important practical steps to achieving this in the clinic. Methods ranging from convenient blood-based molecular tests, detailed genetic analysis of tumors and functional imaging techniques have been applied in patient populations receiving a range of treatments. These findings provide impetus to continue developing a personalized medicine approach to lung cancer with the overall aim of selecting the most effective treatment for the individual.”

It simply means that more resources will be pumped into personalized medicine with its worthless genetics and diagnostics. Well, from other point of view it is a very good way to help the economy and reduce the inflation. It should be found anything positive!