Sections
Pediatric cancer patient Tyler Richards (second from left) benefited from a combination of two molecularly targeted therapeutics, dabrafenib and trametinib, that was approved by the FDA in 2022. Tyler's parents, Katie and Ronnie Richards, shared his story in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2022.We have evidenced unprecedented progress against cancer in the last decade. Remarkable advances across the spectrum of medical research, enabled by decades of federal investments, have led to profound improvements in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. As a result, the U.S. cancer death rate is steadily declining, and more people than ever before are living longer and fuller lives after a cancer diagnosis. In fact, the number of children and adults living with a history of cancer exceeded a record 18 million in January 2022.
Another area of cancer treatment in which extraordinary progress is being made is immunotherapy. One immunotherapeutic, tebentafusp-tebn (Kimmtrak)—which works by flagging cancer cells for destruction by the immune system—was approved by FDA in January 2022 as the first ever treatment for uveal melanoma, the most common form of eye cancer in adults. The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors—therapeutics that work by releasing brakes on natural cancer-fighting immune cells called T cells—is continuing to expand. In 2011, there was only one checkpoint inhibitor approved by FDA. As of July 31, 2022, there are nine checkpoint inhibitors approved by FDA, including relatlimab-rmbw, an inhibitor of a novel immune checkpoint protein LAG-3, and one of the therapeutics comprising the newly approved combination treatment Opdualag. Approved in March 2022 to treat melanoma, the checkpoint inhibitor combination has already benefited patients with advanced melanoma, such as Johnny Borgstrom (right).
As AACR President (2022–2023) Lisa M. Coussens, PhD, FAACR, noted in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2022: “Investments in basic research have led to remarkable gains in reducing cancer incidence by implementing effective prevention strategies; in lowering the chances of late-stage disease by detecting cancers earlier; and in reducing cancer mortality by improving treatment options.”
With the number of cancer cases diagnosed in the United States rising every year, it is vital that the AACR increase public understanding of cancer and the importance of cancer research for saving lives. These efforts are more important than ever given the serious disruption in cancer research and care over the past two years caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual AACR Cancer Progress Report is a cornerstone of these educational efforts and the AACR’s efforts to advocate for increased annual federal funding for government entities that drive progress against cancer and improve public health, in particular, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), FDA, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
