A NEW APPROACH TO CANCER
Cancer immunotherapy also entered a new era this year. Now doctors use the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. Half of the melanoma patients who were thought to be incurable 10 years ago are now cured. Previously, only 1 in 20 patients with advanced melanomas survived for five years. Most died within months. Thanks to this came a new approach to cancer. Seven-year-old Charlotte Stevenson of Belfast is among the first patients to use a new type of drug that has “revolutionized” cancer treatment. These drugs only target tumors, no matter where they are in the body. larotrectinib is the first drug approved in Europe and has the ability to detect genetic disorders.