Editing Cancer (section)

== Research ==
{{Main|Cancer research}}
[[File:UF CancerHospital.JPG|thumb|upright=1.35|[[University of Florida Cancer Hospital]]]]
Because cancer is a class of diseases,<ref name=WhatIsCancerNCI>{{cite web |url=https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer |title=What Is Cancer? |publisher=[[National Cancer Institute]] |access-date=28 March 2018|date=17 September 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/COM/cancer-fs.html |title=Cancer Fact Sheet |publisher=Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry |date=30 August 2002 |access-date=17 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813142933/http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/COM/cancer-fs.html |archive-date=13 August 2009}}</ref> it is unlikely that there will ever be a single "[[cure for cancer]]" any more than there will be a single treatment for all [[infectious disease]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.livescience.com/health/060919_bad_cancer.html |title=Exciting New Cancer Treatments Emerge Amid Persistent Myths | vauthors = Wanjek C |website=[[Live Science]] |date=16 September 2006 |access-date=17 August 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516080512/http://www.livescience.com/health/060919_bad_cancer.html |archive-date=16 May 2008}}</ref> [[Angiogenesis inhibitor]]s were once incorrectly thought to have potential as a "[[silver bullet]]" treatment applicable to many types of cancer.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Hayden EC |title=Cutting off cancer's supply lines |journal=Nature |volume=458 |issue=7239 |pages=686–87 |date=April 2009 |pmid=19360048 |doi=10.1038/458686b|doi-access=free }}</ref> Angiogenesis inhibitors and other cancer therapeutics are used in combination to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Bagri A, Kouros-Mehr H, Leong KG, Plowman GD |title=Use of anti-VEGF adjuvant therapy in cancer: challenges and rationale |journal=Trends in Molecular Medicine |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=122–32 |date=March 2010 |pmid=20189876 |doi=10.1016/j.molmed.2010.01.004}}</ref>

[[Experimental cancer treatment]]s are studied in [[clinical trial]]s to compare the proposed treatment to the best existing treatment. Treatments that succeeded in one cancer type can be tested against other types.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Sleigh SH, Barton CL |s2cid=25267555 |title=Repurposing Strategies for Therapeutics |journal=Pharmaceutical Medicine|volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=151–59 |year=2010 |doi=10.1007/BF03256811 }}</ref> Diagnostic tests are under development to better target the right therapies to the right patients, based on their individual biology.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Winther H, Jorgensen JT |s2cid=43505621 |title=Drug-Diagnostic Co-Development in Cancer |journal=Pharmaceutical Medicine |volume=24 |issue=6 |pages=363–75 |year=2010 |doi=10.1007/BF03256837 }}</ref>

Cancer research focuses on the following issues:
* Agents (e.g. viruses) and events (e.g. mutations) that cause or facilitate genetic changes in cells destined to become cancer.
* The precise nature of the genetic damage and the genes that are affected by it.
* The consequences of those genetic changes on the biology of the cell, both in generating the defining properties of a cancer cell and in facilitating additional genetic events that lead to further progression of the cancer.

The improved understanding of [[molecular biology]] and [[cell biology|cellular biology]] due to cancer research has led to new treatments for cancer since US President [[Richard Nixon]] declared the "[[War on Cancer]]" in 1971. Since then, the country has spent over $200&nbsp;billion on cancer research, including resources from public and private sectors.<ref>{{cite web | vauthors = Begley S |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/157548/page/2 |title=Rethinking the War on Cancer |date=16 September 2008 |website=Newsweek |access-date=8 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910012446/http://www.newsweek.com/id/157548/page/2 |archive-date=10 September 2008}}</ref> The cancer death rate (adjusting for size and age of the population) declined by five percent between 1950 and 2005.<ref name="24cancer">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/health/policy/24cancer.html |url-access=subscription |title=Advances Elusive in the Drive to Cure Cancer | vauthors = Kolata G |date=23 April 2009 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=5 May 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114120509/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/health/policy/24cancer.html |archive-date=14 January 2012}}</ref>
 
Competition for financial resources appears to have suppressed the creativity, cooperation, risk-taking and original thinking required to make fundamental discoveries, unduly favoring low-risk research into small incremental advancements over riskier, more innovative research. Other consequences of competition appear to be many studies with dramatic claims whose results cannot be replicated and perverse incentives that encourage grantee institutions to grow without making sufficient investments in their own faculty and facilities.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Alberts B, Kirschner MW, Tilghman S | author-link1 = Bruce Alberts | author-link4 = Harold Varmus |year=2014 |title=Rescuing US biomedical research from its systemic flaws |bibcode-access=free |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=111 |issue=16 |pages=5773–77 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1404402111 |pmid=24733905 |pmc=4000813|bibcode=2014PNAS..111.5773A |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=24cancer/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/health/research/28cancer.html |url-access=subscription |title=Grant System Leads Cancer Researchers to Play It Safe | vauthors = Kolata G |date=27 June 2009 |work=The New York Times |access-date=29 December 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608133344/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/health/research/28cancer.html |archive-date=8 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Powell K |s2cid=4465686 |year=2016 |title=Young, talented and fed-up: scientists tell their stories |journal=Nature |volume=538 |issue= 7626|pages=446–49 |doi=10.1038/538446a |pmid=27786221|bibcode=2016Natur.538..446P |doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[Virotherapy]], which uses convert viruses, is being studied.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

In the wake of the [[COVID-19]] pandemic, there has been a worry that cancer research and treatment are slowing down.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/covid-s-impact-cancer-care-turning-oncologists-worst-fears-reality-ncna1257743|title = Opinion &#124; I'm an oncologist. My worst fears about Covid and cancer are coming true|website = [[NBC News]]| date=12 February 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-dont-sacrifice-cancer-care-to-covid-20210113-nesit6kuunfenpjcl2lpo2ftny-story.html|title=Don't sacrifice cancer care to COVID|website=[[New York Daily News]]|date=13 January 2021 }}</ref>

On 2 December 2023, [[Nano Today]] published a groundbreaking discovery involving "NK cell-engaging nanodrones" for targeted cancer treatment. The development of "NK cell-engaging nanodrones" represents a significant leap forward in cancer treatment, showcasing how cutting-edge nanotechnology and immunotherapy can be combined to target and eliminate cancer cells with unprecedented precision. These nanodrones are designed to harness the power of natural killer (NK) cells, which play a crucial role in the body's immune response against tumors. By directing these NK cells specifically to the sites of tumors, the nanodrones can effectively concentrate the immune system's attack on the cancer cells, potentially leading to better outcomes for patients.<ref name=":2"/>

The key innovation here lies in the use of protein cage nanoparticle-based systems. These systems are engineered to carry signals that attract NK cells directly to the tumor, overcoming one of the major challenges in cancer immunotherapy: ensuring that the immune cells find and attack only the cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. This targeted approach not only increases the efficacy of the treatment but also minimizes side effects, a common concern with broader-acting cancer therapies.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Revolutionary nanodrones enable targeted cancer treatment |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/12/231229164725.htm |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=ScienceDaily |language=en}}</ref>