Clinical Cancer Advances is an independent annual review of the top advances in cancer treatment, prevention, and screening across all cancer types, conducted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Over the last three decades, investment in clinical cancer research, prevention, and screening has reduced cancer incidence and death rates, increased survival rates, and significantly reduced the symptoms and side effects of cancer and its treatment. The number of U.S. cancer deaths dropped slightly in 2003, the first such decline since 1930, and today, there are nearly 10 million cancer survivors in the United States.
This report documents the most significant advances on the front lines of cancer research. This year, major research advances can be grouped in three categories:
- Prevention: The approval of the world’s first preventive vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus strongly associated with cervical cancer
- Targeted therapies: Effective new targeted therapies for hard-to-treat cancers such as kidney cancer, HER-2–positive breast cancer, chronic myelogenous leukemia resistant to the current standard treatment, and head and neck cancer
- Genetic profiling: The creation of a novel gene profiling test to predict lung cancer prognosis.
