ESMO 2024, Finding the Key to Improving Cancer Patient Survival Rates [AK Radio]

Dramatically Increasing Cancer Patient Survival Rates
Innovative Treatment Method... High Costs Remain a Challenge

At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), a series of innovative research results offering hope to terminal cancer patients were announced. The conference, held from the 13th to the 17th in Barcelona, Spain, was attended by over 34,000 participants from 149 countries who shared 2,186 research findings, opening new horizons in cancer treatment.

The most notable feature of this conference was the numerous research results that significantly improved the survival rates of terminal cancer patients. Global pharmaceutical companies presented the possibility of long-term survival for terminal cancer patients, who are inoperable or whose cancer progression is difficult to slow with existing drugs, by utilizing the latest medications such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) and immuno-oncology drugs.

Particularly remarkable achievements were made in the field of liver cancer treatment. Generally, 6 out of 10 liver cancer patients struggle to survive five years, and when the cancer has metastasized to other organs such as the brain, the five-year survival rate is only 3%. However, the combination of AstraZeneca’s immuno-oncology drug 'Imfinzi' and targeted therapy 'Imbruvica' improved the five-year survival rate of liver cancer patients with brain metastases to 31%. This figure is more than ten times higher than existing treatments, providing new hope for terminal liver cancer patients.

Positive research results were also reported in breast and stomach cancer fields. MSD’s immuno-oncology drug 'Keytruda' achieved an astonishing 87% five-year survival rate in patients with triple-negative breast cancer, a special type of breast cancer known for being difficult to treat due to the absence of three receptors targeted by conventional breast cancer therapies. Additionally, Keytruda succeeded in reducing the mortality risk of stomach cancer patients by 28%. Due to these outstanding effects, Keytruda sold approximately 33 trillion won worth last year, making it the best-selling pharmaceutical product worldwide.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

ADC drugs also received significant attention at this conference. Known as “guided missiles that hunt cancer,” ADCs are innovative drugs that precisely target and attack cancer cells. The ADC drug 'Enhertu,' jointly developed by AstraZeneca and Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo, achieved remarkable results by enabling over 90% of breast cancer patients with brain metastases to survive more than one year. Generally, more than half of breast cancer patients with brain metastases find it difficult to survive beyond eight months, making this result even more meaningful.

Regarding immuno-oncology drugs, their status was elevated at this conference as medications that can be used from initial treatment stages. Immuno-oncology drugs help the body’s immune system normally attack cancer cells. Cancer cells create a kind of “fake pass” to evade immune system attacks, but immuno-oncology drugs neutralize this, allowing immune cells to attack the cancer. Initially used as a last resort, the research results presented at this conference sufficiently demonstrated their potential as first-line treatments.

Korean pharmaceutical and bio companies also participated in this conference, but compared to previous years, there were relatively fewer notable research results. Two years ago, HLB’s liver cancer drug 'Lenvatinib' recorded the longest survival period in clinical trials targeting advanced liver cancer patients, and last year, Yuhan Corporation’s lung cancer drug 'Leclaza' attracted attention by demonstrating efficacy comparable to existing standard treatments. Notably, Leclaza achieved the milestone of being the first domestically produced anticancer drug to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month. However, this year’s presentations mainly focused on follow-up studies of these drugs and early-stage research results, receiving less attention than before.

The European Society for Medical Oncology is one of the world’s top three cancer conferences held annually between September and October in major European cities. Alongside the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), it is regarded as an important academic event to check the latest trends in anticancer drug development. Its significance is further heightened as the only large-scale cancer conference held in Europe.

The results of this conference presented a positive outlook for the future of cancer treatment. Especially with the announcement of research results that significantly increase survival rates for terminal cancer patients, new hope was given to patients diagnosed with cancer. With continuous development of innovative treatments including ADCs and immuno-oncology drugs, it is expected that survival rates for more cancer patients will improve in the future.

However, the high costs of these innovative treatments remain a challenge. Many patients face the practical problem of not being able to benefit from effective new therapies. Therefore, alongside the development of effective treatments, policy and economic efforts to make these treatments accessible to more patients will be necessary going forward.

This year’s European Society for Medical Oncology conference is being evaluated as having opened a new chapter in cancer treatment. Especially with the announcement of research results that greatly improve survival rates for terminal cancer patients, new hope was given to those diagnosed with cancer. It is expected that continuous research and development will further improve the quality of life and survival rates for more cancer patients. This conference can be regarded as a step closer to the dream of conquering cancer.

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