By Madeleine Andreas '20
When I tell people I work in cancer research, there are two main responses:
But as much as I’m disheartened by the first one, I’m emboldened and motivated by the second response. Cancer is an incredibly personal disease, one that has affected so many lives. Many cancer researchers have had personal and/or familial experiences with cancer, leading them to develop new, less invasive treatments for cancer. Personal connections with those affected by cancer help us to persevere through challenges, because we strive to keep the patient at the heart of our work. Whether we work in basic science (benchtop), translational, or clinical researcher, the patient is always our focus.
While researchers and clinicians are compassionate towards patient’s suffering, traditional cancer treatments may not be. Chemotherapy and radiation destroy the body and have terrible side effects. The side effects (losing hair, nausea, fatigue, etc.) are difficult to experience for patient and caregiver alike. It’s painful to watch someone go through this experience, and even more painful when you know there are no other options. Researchers and clinicians understand this dilemma and are working on targeted therapies to alleviate suffering and ensure more positive prognoses for patients.
The idea of targeted therapy is that each patient receives a different therapy based on their unique tumor profile and prognosis. This eliminates the need for destructive chemotherapy and radiation that kill malignant and healthy cells alike. Immunotherapy is one of the most promising new approaches in cancer treatment and involves using the patient’s own immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. It’s a complex process, especially given the variances between all the different types of cancer. Some immunotherapy drugs have been FDA-approved to treat specific patient populations, and many more are in clinical trials. Overall, patients experience fewer and less severe side effects, and are sometimes able to live longer and more fruitful lives than if they were placed on chemotherapy alone.
As we work towards new therapies in the lab and the clinic, keeping the patient at the forefront of daily life research is an incredible exercise in compassion. Speaking from my experience at Notre Dame and MD Anderson, researchers can get caught up in the minute and often frustrating details of daily research. Whether it’s a Western blot not working for what seems like the 50thtime or a grant proposal not being accepted, research is a challenging field to work in. However, we strive to remember why we’re doing our research. Even though most translational and basic science researchers do not meet patients specifically affected by their work, the patient is always first in our minds. When working with patient samples or patient-derived cell lines, we always treat them with the respect and compassion that they deserve. These feelings are amplified when we meet people who have been personally affected by cancer, and their experiences push us to work through challenges and strive to provide a better standard of care for cancer patients.
It’s a great time to be working in cancer research, especially because many new discoveries are being made every day. The most recent Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to two researchers who pioneered the field of immunotherapy. Their work, and the tireless work of scientists and clinicians across the globe, will help ensure a more compassionate standard of cancer treatment for future patients.
When I tell people I work in cancer research, there are two main responses:
- Why isn’t there a cure for cancer yet? I think the government is hiding something.
- My relative passed away from cancer, I’m really glad people are continuing to research and fight this disease.
But as much as I’m disheartened by the first one, I’m emboldened and motivated by the second response. Cancer is an incredibly personal disease, one that has affected so many lives. Many cancer researchers have had personal and/or familial experiences with cancer, leading them to develop new, less invasive treatments for cancer. Personal connections with those affected by cancer help us to persevere through challenges, because we strive to keep the patient at the heart of our work. Whether we work in basic science (benchtop), translational, or clinical researcher, the patient is always our focus.
While researchers and clinicians are compassionate towards patient’s suffering, traditional cancer treatments may not be. Chemotherapy and radiation destroy the body and have terrible side effects. The side effects (losing hair, nausea, fatigue, etc.) are difficult to experience for patient and caregiver alike. It’s painful to watch someone go through this experience, and even more painful when you know there are no other options. Researchers and clinicians understand this dilemma and are working on targeted therapies to alleviate suffering and ensure more positive prognoses for patients.
The idea of targeted therapy is that each patient receives a different therapy based on their unique tumor profile and prognosis. This eliminates the need for destructive chemotherapy and radiation that kill malignant and healthy cells alike. Immunotherapy is one of the most promising new approaches in cancer treatment and involves using the patient’s own immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. It’s a complex process, especially given the variances between all the different types of cancer. Some immunotherapy drugs have been FDA-approved to treat specific patient populations, and many more are in clinical trials. Overall, patients experience fewer and less severe side effects, and are sometimes able to live longer and more fruitful lives than if they were placed on chemotherapy alone.
As we work towards new therapies in the lab and the clinic, keeping the patient at the forefront of daily life research is an incredible exercise in compassion. Speaking from my experience at Notre Dame and MD Anderson, researchers can get caught up in the minute and often frustrating details of daily research. Whether it’s a Western blot not working for what seems like the 50thtime or a grant proposal not being accepted, research is a challenging field to work in. However, we strive to remember why we’re doing our research. Even though most translational and basic science researchers do not meet patients specifically affected by their work, the patient is always first in our minds. When working with patient samples or patient-derived cell lines, we always treat them with the respect and compassion that they deserve. These feelings are amplified when we meet people who have been personally affected by cancer, and their experiences push us to work through challenges and strive to provide a better standard of care for cancer patients.
It’s a great time to be working in cancer research, especially because many new discoveries are being made every day. The most recent Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to two researchers who pioneered the field of immunotherapy. Their work, and the tireless work of scientists and clinicians across the globe, will help ensure a more compassionate standard of cancer treatment for future patients.