SPONSORED EDITORIAL

A breakthrough in medical science could give healthcare practitioners new options in the treatment of cancer and could one day even beat the dreaded disease.

Figures from World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that cancer was estimated to have risen to 18.1 million new cases and 9.6 million deaths in 2018.

One in five men and one in six women worldwide develop cancer during their lifetime, and one in eight men and one in 11 women die from the disease.

For decades, scientists have been in a relentless battle to conquer the disease but a new kind of treatment could be the first glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

That treatment is immunotherapy.

On Wednesday, March 13, Dr Pecorino will host a Medway Great Talk public lecture about ‘Breakthrough in Cancer Research’.

Admission is free and and the event will take place between 6pm and 8pm at the Pembroke Building on the University's Medway Campus in Chatham Maritime.

Visit www.eventbrite.co.uk and type ‘Breakthrough in Cancer Research’ in the event search box to register for the event.

Immunotherapy helps the body’s immune system attack cancer cells and guests can come along to hear an update about the new treatment.

Unlike other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy which aim to remove cancer cells, this treatment is aimed at utilising the body’s own immune response to destroy cancer cells.

“Tapping into our own body's immune defense system to fight cancer has been a goal for decades so our recent successes are worth celebrating,” said Dr Lauren Pecorino who is a Principal Lecturer at the University of Greenwich and who teaches Cancer Biology and Therapeutics - a course she developed.

“Being complex, unique and ever-changing individuals, it makes sense to use our own bodies to fight the disease.

“We’ve certainly taken a large stride towards giving some patients significantly longer disease-free lives with immunotherapies.”

That stride couldn’t come any sooner.

In 2018, there were over 9.6 million cancer deaths and that figure is predicted to climb by a worrying 20% over the next couple of decades.

That makes breakthroughs in medical science - such as immunotherapies - even more crucial and Dr Pecorino and her colleagues are keen to spread the good word.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE PUBLIC LECTURE ABOUT 'BREAKTHROUGH IN CANCER RESEARCH'

In the last ten years or so, dozens of immunotherapies clinical trials have been conducted while branches have been opened in the US and Thailand.

According to the man behind immunotherapies, Dr. Michael Har-Noy, his treatment is at present the only current mode of treatment that could actually cure cancer.

The process of immunotherapies essentially involves injecting purified, activated immune cells from a healthy donor into the recipient until the immune system can hunt down cancer cells on its own.

For more information or to register for the lecture, click here.