Very exciting news. The only problem is that I would be reluctant to seek cancer treatment anytime soon because medical facilities and physician offices are allowing the spread of Covid in their practices even in oncology setting where the majority of patients are immunocompromised and high risk for Covid.
Go get cancer treatment to save your life but in exchange you must risk getting covid, risk getting long covid, and risk hospitalization and even death. That is a hell of an exchange.
Universal masking must be required in all healthcare related practices. People should not have to take these kind of risks in order to get medical care.
I am sorry to hear that you have to go through this during a pandemic. I am glad that you feel comfortable advocating for yourself and I am glad that you have avoided Covid infection to date. Unfortunately, many patients are afraid to ask their medical providers to mask because of unequal power dynamics or no alternatives. Many cancer patients are not even aware of the risks. IMO it is medically unethical to put the burden on patients to ask providers to mask. And for that provider to be a practitioner working with oncology patients is beyond the pale. As I am sure you know, 2 way masking provides better protection than 1 way masking. As patients we should expect no less. The only way this is going to happen is for those of us comfortable making demands for masking in healthcare to be vocally active whenever and wherever we can.
Very useful survey! The broad front of investigation is sure to bring about multiple productive therapies as well as offshoot advances in the treatment of non cancers. This is great stuff! I'm particularly encouraged by the renewed attention being given to oncolytic viral approaches.. The basic idea is sound and it's surprising to me that progress has been so slow. At least in the case of bladder cancer we're at long last seeing a breakthrough. The first of many more it's safe to predict as more research teams join the effort!
I like this overview. I would just add the following platforms. Immuncytokines are similar to Antibody-drug-conjugates, but where a cytokine is loaded onto the antibody instead of a chemotherapy agent. CAR-NK is similar to CAR-T but is based on natural killer cells and offers better prospects in solid cancers. I love your assessments regarding the oncolytic platforms, and I am very excited about the first trial of a new adenovirus platform in HPV-associated tumors starting in March.
The report about cancer cells spreading mostly during sleep sounds like the plot of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. After all, that’s what cancer does, isn’t it?
Science is truly miraculous. While a lot of the detail is over my pay grade, I surely do get the gist. And I appreciate, too, your summary, outlining both the rewards and risks. I do worry about scaling these innovations so they are available to all who need them. Our track record on that as a country is pretty poor. If only the political environment could keep up with the science!
Very exciting news. The only problem is that I would be reluctant to seek cancer treatment anytime soon because medical facilities and physician offices are allowing the spread of Covid in their practices even in oncology setting where the majority of patients are immunocompromised and high risk for Covid.
Go get cancer treatment to save your life but in exchange you must risk getting covid, risk getting long covid, and risk hospitalization and even death. That is a hell of an exchange.
Universal masking must be required in all healthcare related practices. People should not have to take these kind of risks in order to get medical care.
I am sorry to hear that you have to go through this during a pandemic. I am glad that you feel comfortable advocating for yourself and I am glad that you have avoided Covid infection to date. Unfortunately, many patients are afraid to ask their medical providers to mask because of unequal power dynamics or no alternatives. Many cancer patients are not even aware of the risks. IMO it is medically unethical to put the burden on patients to ask providers to mask. And for that provider to be a practitioner working with oncology patients is beyond the pale. As I am sure you know, 2 way masking provides better protection than 1 way masking. As patients we should expect no less. The only way this is going to happen is for those of us comfortable making demands for masking in healthcare to be vocally active whenever and wherever we can.
Very useful survey! The broad front of investigation is sure to bring about multiple productive therapies as well as offshoot advances in the treatment of non cancers. This is great stuff! I'm particularly encouraged by the renewed attention being given to oncolytic viral approaches.. The basic idea is sound and it's surprising to me that progress has been so slow. At least in the case of bladder cancer we're at long last seeing a breakthrough. The first of many more it's safe to predict as more research teams join the effort!
I like this overview. I would just add the following platforms. Immuncytokines are similar to Antibody-drug-conjugates, but where a cytokine is loaded onto the antibody instead of a chemotherapy agent. CAR-NK is similar to CAR-T but is based on natural killer cells and offers better prospects in solid cancers. I love your assessments regarding the oncolytic platforms, and I am very excited about the first trial of a new adenovirus platform in HPV-associated tumors starting in March.
Link to my overview of those mentioned platforms: https://tradingtimeline.com/ibrx.html
The report about cancer cells spreading mostly during sleep sounds like the plot of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. After all, that’s what cancer does, isn’t it?
How about something for Chronic Lyme ????? That certainly hits the immune issue, no?
Science is truly miraculous. While a lot of the detail is over my pay grade, I surely do get the gist. And I appreciate, too, your summary, outlining both the rewards and risks. I do worry about scaling these innovations so they are available to all who need them. Our track record on that as a country is pretty poor. If only the political environment could keep up with the science!