The most aggressive cancers: pancreatic, lung and liver cancer show the fastest progression

Another common factor is that these types of cancer are not often diagnosed at an early stage because the first symptoms do not usually appear until after the cancer has already progressed. According to Tuomo Alanko, Chief Physician of Medical Oncology and Specialist in Medical Oncology at Docrates Cancer Center, personalised treatments are available for even the most aggressive cancers. The treatments range from older therapies that have seen further development as of late to completely new options.

Major advances in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

Thanks to smoking losing its popularity, lung cancer has become less common, but it is still ranks among the most common types of cancer. While smoking is the most common risk factor for lung cancer, 10% of lung cancers are diagnosed in non-smokers.

–The heterogeneity of the disease is significant. Some lung cancers have excellent precision medicine options that help achieve long and beneficial responses to the treatment. In general, if the disease is found early enough, treatment can help considerably expand life expectancy, even when relying on traditional treatments. Unfortunately, for some, the disease has already progressed so far at the time of diagnosis that treatment cannot be started. In these cases, the life expectancy is usually about a few months, says Alanko.

Lung cancer is divided into small cell and non-small cell lung cancer

– In cases of non-small cell lung cancer, up to 50% of the patients are diagnosed with a gene abnormality that can also be used to achieve beneficial and long-lasting results in personalised treatments for advanced cancer. In addition, about 50% of the patients who do not have the option for this type of targeted biological therapy, in other words precision drug treatment, can opt for immunological treatments to achieve an asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic condition for up to several years.

Of course, the results vary between individuals. In the treatment of small cell lung cancer, progress has been slower. Decisive steps to significantly improve the prognosis are still needed. However, with the effective use of traditional treatments, excellent results can be achieved in individual cases.

Yellow skin may reveal pancreatic cancer

The risk of pancreatic cancer is increased by heavy alcohol consumption and smoking. The challenge is in identifying it in the early stages, as pancreatic cancer does not cause almost any alarming symptoms. Usually, operable pancreatic cancers are found either by chance when examining the symptoms of another illness or because the tumor is located in the path of the common bile duct, blocking the main bile duct. In this case, the person’s skin turns yellowish, which can lead to an early diagnosis.

– Pancreatic cancer is often found late when it has already grown in size and become metastatic. However, if the cancer is found when it is still small and limited to the pancreas, surgical treatment can lead to a long life expectancy and, in some patients, complete healing. However, unlike with many other cancers, surgery is not a guarantee of anything and the prognosis may still be poor; but for some, surgery can be an enormous help, says Alanko.

– In pancreatic cancer, the treatment results remained stagnant for years and there was no significant progress for 10–15 years, until a couple of more effective cell blockers and combination therapies became available within the past five years, significantly improving the treatment results of some patients. It’s no longer exceptional to be able to live with metastatic pancreatic cancer for several years.

Hepatitis viruses and alcohol as risk factors to hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is an intrahepatic tumor disease that rarely occurs in an otherwise completely healthy liver. Risk factors include liver damage caused by hepatitis viruses or alcohol. Liver disease associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome is an increasing risk factor for liver cancer in affluent countries. A small tumor of the liver does not usually cause any symptoms but is often found during examinations of an otherwise unhealthy liver and in patients with liver cirrhosis. Some targeted screening for hepatocellular carcinoma is performed by scanning the liver at regular intervals to detect the cancer at an early stage.

–Even in hepatocellular carcinoma, the rate of progression varies from one patient to the next. In some cases, it may be slow, but on average it is an aggressive cancer that requires active treatment. In the case of hepatocellular carcinoma, the development of personalised treatments has been so significant that even advanced cancer can remain under control for years. However, the use of treatments may be limited if the liver is damaged.

– When the carcinoma is limited to the liver, we use local treatments aimed primarily at the liver. If the disease is no longer manageable with local treatments or if it has spread outside the liver, precision drug therapy can be used, and some of the newer options include immunological treatment, Alanko says.