The
latest Cancer Moonshot report from a panel of top-tier cancer experts lays out
10 recommendations to speed progress in fighting cancer.
The
working groups concentrated on opportunities in seven areas that included: Clinical
Trials, enhancing data sharing, cancer Immunology, implementation of science,
pediatric cancer, precision prevention and early detection, and tumor evolution
and progression.
The
list of recommendations from the 28-member panel are:
A.
Establish a network for direct patient involvement
B.
Create a clinical trials network devoted exclusively to immunotherapy
C.
Develop ways to overcome cancer’s resistance to therapy
D.
Build a national cancer data ecosystem
E.
Intensify research on the major drivers of childhood cancers
F.
Minimize cancer treatment’s debilitating side effects
G.
Expand use of proven cancer prevention and early detection strategies
H.
Mine past patient data to predict future patient outcomes
I.
Develop a 3-D cancer atlas
J.
Develop new cancer technologies
Gathering
information about tumor profiles and treatment outcomes in a linked network of
databases would enable more precise knowledge about what works, in whom, and in
which types of cancer. This network would also allow patients to “pre-register”
for clinical trials, enabling them or their physicians to be contacted if their
tumor’s molecular characteristics made them eligible for clinical trials that
match their cancer profile. By enabling patients to enroll directly, the
network would reach a broader and more diverse.