Targeted drugs target a specific molecule in the cancer cell.
– Because the drug is target-directed, other cells in the body are spared and the patient has fewer side effects, says David Gisselsson Nord, professor at Lund University and chief physician in pathology in Region Skåne.
Another advantage of the drugs is that they give hope of being able to cure patients who have tumors where chemotherapy does not work.
The rate of increase has decreased
340 children in Sweden suffer from childhood cancer every year. Of these, 85 percent can be cured, i.e. 290 children.
The chance of surviving childhood cancer has increased drastically since the 50s when almost all children died. Chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are the explanation for the success.
– The chance of survival is still getting higher and higher, but the rate of increase has decreased, says David Gisselsson Nord and continues:
– Now the assessment is that you have reached as far as you can go with chemotherapy and surgery and new tools are needed.
Slower in childhood cancer care
Targeted drugs are already available for adults and are being phased in for children as well. But progress is slower in childhood cancer care.
– That’s because the pharmaceutical industry can make more money from adult cancer.
Childhood cancer is significantly rarer than adult cancer, which thus reduces the industry’s customer base.
The fact that childhood cancer is uncommon also makes it more difficult to research. The researchers are given fewer cases to study and must collaborate to a great extent across national borders to achieve success. Despite this, David Gisselsson Nord is hopeful.
– It is about a small number, but I see individual patients who receive the new drugs and survive.