A better outlook for cancer detection and treatment

The phrase “a cure for cancer” has long been used as shorthand for solving a complex or nearly impossible problem.

And while there isn’t a universal cure for cancer (yet), doctors and medical researchers aren’t looking at cancer as unsolvable. On the contrary, they’re committed to conducting thorough research and pioneering cutting-edge advancements. As a result, new and innovative strategies for detection and treatment are continually emerging.

Let’s take a closer look at eight recent breakthroughs in cancer and what they mean for the future of cancer incidence and treatment.

Recent breakthroughs in cancer research

1. Vaccines for cancer treatment

There have been several steps forward in using vaccines to treat cancer—starting with Messenger RiboNucleic Acid (mRNA) vaccines. This type of vaccine became somewhat of a household name during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now it’s also gaining traction in cancer treatment.

These vaccines teach the body’s immune system to detect and attack cancer cells. The FDA approved the first mRNA cancer vaccine as an Investigational New Drug (IND) in May 2024. That approval meant the drug could be administered to humans during clinical trials. Other vaccines are currently being tested in patients with colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and melanoma.

There has also been increased focus on personalized vaccines, which are tailored to fit a patient’s specific cancer and immune system. And some vaccines combine both mRNA and personalization, such as one that’s currently undergoing clinical research for its efficacy in treating pancreatic cancer.

Researchers are looking at vaccines for other specific types of cancer, too, such as prostate cancer and breast cancer.

2. AI-driven early detection tools

Everybody is talking about AI, and the technology is being applied to various areas, including cancer detection.

AI is already being used to review images (like MRIs) and flag potential issues that radiologists should take a closer look at. In several studies, AI even outperformed human radiologists at detecting breast cancer from ultrasound exams and digital mammograms.

But that’s only the beginning of AI’s role in cancer research. Experts are finding other opportunities to leverage the technology, including using:

• Large language models (LLMs) to quickly extract knowledge from dense research publications
• Machine learning to find patterns in data and predict cancer behavior
• Computer algorithms to improve the accuracy of screenings for specific cancers (such as cervical cancer)
• Predictive modeling to identify patients who are at greater risk of cancers (such as pancreatic cancer)

As AI continues to get smarter, it’ll likely play an even larger role in cancer detection and treatment planning.

3. Testing and monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD)

After a patient undergoes cancer treatment, a small number of cancer cells might remain in the body. That’s called minimal residual disease (MRD), and it could indicate that the treatment wasn’t completely effective.

However, because these cells are so minimal, they often aren’t detected through more traditional methods. That poses a risk, as they can reactivate, multiply, and cause a relapse of the patient’s cancer.

Needless to say, since the remaining cancer cells are so minute, detecting MRD is complex and requires highly sensitive methods. There are several techniques for doing this:

• Flow Cytometry: Uses a fresh bone marrow sample to check for the presence or absence of specific protein markers.
• Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR): Expands trace amounts of DNA to study a specific segment and better detect abnormalities.
• Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS): Refers to a variety of sequencing technologies that quickly examine stretches of DNA or RNA and detect mutations or abnormalities.

Those existing approaches have proven effective, but detecting and monitoring MRD is another area where doctors and researchers are working to get even better.

For example, there’s ongoing research into analyzing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for managing colorectal cancer or detecting solid tumors. This uses blood tests to pick up on small pieces of DNA that cancer cells shed into the bloodstream and helps doctors detect and monitor the disease.

4. Liquid biopsies for early detection

ctDNA is identified with a liquid biopsy—a blood test that detects signs of cancer. Rather than a patient needing an invasive needle procedure (like collecting a sample of the actual tumor tissue or doing a bone marrow biopsy), liquid biopsies are simple blood tests that detect tumor DNA in the bloodstream and help doctors understand the tumor’s genetics.

Liquid biopsies are easier on patients, but they’ve also proven to be more informative. In one study, one blood test showed a 99% chance of identifying people with kidney cancer, even in its early stages.

Liquid biopsies already show a lot of promise in the early detection of cancer, and there’s ongoing and active research into how to further improve the sensitivity and accuracy of these tests.

5. CRISPR gene editing in cancer therapy

The name alone—clustered interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)—is enough to imply that this treatment is complex. But, put simply, it means that scientists can modify (or edit) a patient’s DNA to encourage their immune system to better detect and attack cancer in the body.

According to research, it could potentially revolutionize cancer treatment by “allowing for precise and efficient manipulation of the genome to target specific genetic mutations that drive the growth and spread of tumors.”

It’s already demonstrated effectiveness in clinical trials of CRISPR-edited CAR-T cell therapy specifically for lymphoma.

6. Evolving use of cell therapies

While chemotherapy relies on drugs that attack the cancer itself, immunotherapy focuses on supporting a patient’s immune system so it can better recognize and target cancer cells.

Generally, it’s considered to be easier on the body than chemotherapy, as it targets cancer cells (and not healthy cells). So, immunotherapy approaches—and, more specificaly, cell therapies—have seen increased focus in the world of cancer research, including:

• CAR-T enhancements: CAR-T therapy boosts a patient’s T cells, the white blood cells that help the body fight off germs and diseases. Researchers are working on developing multi-specific CAR-T cells that can recognize more than one antigen and distinguish between healthy tissues and cancerous tumors. Additionally, something called logic-gated CAR-T cells is in development, focused on improving the specificity and activities of CAR-T cells using Boolean logic principles (basically, a system of algebra).
• Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy: This therapy harvests T cells from a patient’s tumor, expands those cells in a lab, and then reinfuses them back into the body to fight the cancer. In February 2024, the FDA approved the first cancer treatment that uses TILs to fight advanced melanoma.

7. Radiopharmaceuticals and targeted radiation

Radiation has been used to treat cancer for well over a century. And, while it can be effective at killing cancer cells, radiation is hard on the body and can cause negative side effects like fatigue, skin changes, hair loss, and low blood counts. That’s why researchers are looking at ways to deliver radiation only to the areas that need it.

Radiopharmaceuticals are a relatively new class of drugs that deliver radiation therapy through the bloodstream specifically to cancer cells and, as a result, limit the effects of radiation on the rest of the body. For example, the FDA approved Pluvicto for treating metastatic prostate cancer and recently expanded its indications in March 2025.

Researchers are also actively working on precision radiotherapy. This uses the more traditional approach of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells, but with far more accuracy and precision.

8. Bispecific antibodies

Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are a fairly new type of immunotherapy drug. They can recognize and bind to two different targets (called antigens) on a cell’s surface at one time. This helps the immune system attack tumors more precisely.

According to the FDA, there’s a lot of current research and development into BsAbs, with more than 100 of them currently in clinical development—most of which are in the early stages.

BsAbs have already demonstrated a lot of potential in treating blood cancers and are also being actively researched for use in treating solid tumors.

While there might never be a single “cure for cancer,” these breakthroughs in cancer research show just how far science has come—and how much hope is on the horizon for the future of cancer care. With every discovery and advancement, we get closer to the ultimate goal: turning cancer into a far more manageable and treatable condition.

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The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only. No material is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.