Chemotherapies are the chemical compounds created to kill cells. The target of these compounds is not only cancer cells. When you apply them to the patient, both normal cells and cancer cells die.
Basically, there are chemotherapy drugs that target the DNA of the cells, target the proliferation mechanisms, and target the division mechanisms. It was first developed and put into use in 1956, but almost no chemotherapy agent has been developed in the last 10 years.
Chemotherapy drugs have been the cornerstone of cancer treatment until recent years. Especially the 1980s and 1990s were the years when the most chemotherapy agents were developed and used. Although very important successes have been achieved in some types of cancer (such as testicular tumors, blood cancers) with the chemotherapy approach, its effectiveness is insufficient in many cancer types and even it is seen that it is almost ineffective in many types of cancer (such as kidney tumors, some soft tissue sarcomas).
The bigger problem is the side effects of chemotherapy rather than its effectiveness. As our knowledge in cancer biology increases, it has been revealed that cancers are not the same and organ-specific definitions cannot be made. However, chemotherapies are designed according to the organ-specific treatment approach. The same chemotherapy is applied to everyone by making organ-specific definitions such as breast cancer and ovarian cancer. In other words, the medical oncologist has a rough knowledge of how effective the treatment can be for the patient before starting the treatment. Although there is not enough information about its effectiveness, our patients experience the serious side effects of chemotherapy.
An important step has been taken in the treatment of cancer with chemotherapy. In the next step, there is a need for new and more biologically based treatments. Especially after 2000, with the advances in technology and cancer biology, smart molecules and targeted therapies have rapidly started to replace chemotherapies. I foresee that the use of chemotherapy drugs will reach a very limited level within 5 years in developed countries and within 10 years in less developed countries.
In Medicana Personalized Cancer Treatment Center, there is almost no treatment plan without comprehensive genomic mapping, especially in stage 3 and 4 patients. Therefore, chemotherapy application rates do not exceed 10-20%.
Every person, every patient is different and so as their cancers. When cancer is treated with chemotherapy with an organ specific approach, there will be patients who benefit, as well as those who do not benefit at all, and even those who are harmed. Therefore, treatments should be personalized.
Smart Chemotherapy?
In fact, chemotherapy is chemotherapy, but if you use it wisely, if you design it based on the molecular data of the patient, then smart chemotherapy can be mentioned. In other words, it is necessary to regulate the chemotherapy of the patient by performing comprehensive genomic profiling.
Chemotherapy given orally to the patient is not smart, a smart treatment cannot be applied without processing the patient's molecular data, because every patient and every tumor is different.
After a comprehensive genomic profiling examination is performed in our clinic, the changing biology of the tumor is discussed and it is designed specifically for the patient if chemotherapy is to be applied.
Especially in chemotherapy applications, the addition of high-dose vitamin C and hyperthermia to the treatment may cause an increase in efficacy, as well as a significant decrease in side effects.
It is possible to offer more effective and more successful treatment opportunities by combining some chemotherapy drugs with smart molecules and immunotherapy. However, in order to do these, you need to have the knowledge about the biology of the patient's tumor.
THE SAME CHEMOTHERAPY IS NOT APPLIED TO EVERYONE IN OUR CLINIC. LIKE EVERY TREATMENT, CHEMOTHERAPY IS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO THE PERSON.
