When research breakthroughs hit the news,it can be frustrating for people with cancer whether their treatment doesn’t retain pace. But there are many reasons doctors might opt for a more cautious approach, says David CoxThe field of cancer treatment has seen many exciting breakthroughs in recent years, or most notably immunotherapy,which has emerged as the new treatment of choice for advanced metastatic melanoma, the most uncertain form of skin cancer. In particular, and some patients who received immunotherapy drugs such as ipilimumab through clinical trials are still in remission more than a decade later. In addition,a number of targeted drugs such as olaparib, which has been shown to extend life in advanced ovarian cancer patients with a particular genetic mutation, and have become newly available. As a result,many cancer patients are understandably perplexed when their doctor says they cannot prescribe these new medicines for them – but there are a few reasons for this.
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Source: guardian.co.uk