Future of Rectal Cancer Treatment: Personalized Medicine and Patient Empowerment

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• Personalized Medicine Era in Cancer Care
• Educated Patients Demand Quality Treatment
• Molecular Markers for Prognosis Prediction
• Tailoring Therapy to the Individual
• Rise of Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Importance of a Medical Second Opinion
• Choosing the Best Cancer Surgeon and Center

Personalized Medicine Era in Cancer Care

Dr. Torbjorn Holm, MD, a leading rectal cancer surgeon, states that we are now firmly in the era of personalized medicine. This fundamental shift means that rectal cancer treatment is no longer a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, therapy must be meticulously tailored to the individual patient's specific condition, tumor biology, and overall health profile to achieve the best possible outcome.

Educated Patients Demand Quality Treatment

A major trend in cancer treatment is the rise of the educated patient. Dr. Torbjorn Holm, MD, observes that patients are increasingly using the internet to research their condition. This access to information, combined with publicly available hospital quality registries and rankings, empowers patients to make informed decisions. Patients are now more likely to seek treatment at highly-ranked hospitals known for their expertise and superior surgical outcomes, directly influencing their care options.

Dr. Anton Titov, MD, highlights that this shift means patients are moving beyond simply trusting their local doctor. They are proactively demanding the highest quality care, a trend that will only intensify in the future.

Molecular Markers for Prognosis Prediction

The future of rectal cancer diagnosis will be revolutionized by molecular markers. Dr. Torbjorn Holm, MD, explains that analyzing a tumor's genetic pattern from biopsy samples will soon allow for highly accurate prognosis prediction. This means doctors will be able to determine an individual's specific risk of metastasis with far greater precision than is possible with current staging methods alone.

Tailoring Therapy to the Individual

Advanced molecular profiling will enable truly personalized rectal cancer treatment plans. As Dr. Torbjorn Holm, MD, explains, genetic information will identify which patients are unlikely to benefit from radiation therapy or chemotherapy, allowing them to avoid unnecessary side effects. Conversely, it will pinpoint those with a high risk of recurrence who need the most aggressive multi-modal therapy. This precision ensures the right treatment is matched to the right patient.

Rise of Minimally Invasive Surgery

Minimally invasive surgical techniques are rapidly becoming the standard of care for rectal cancer treatment. Dr. Torbjorn Holm, MD, notes that procedures like laparoscopic and robotic surgery are increasing rapidly. These techniques offer significant benefits over traditional open surgery, including smaller incisions, less pain, reduced blood loss, and faster recovery times, all while maintaining high oncological effectiveness.

Importance of a Medical Second Opinion

Seeking a medical second opinion is a critical step for any cancer patient. As discussed by Dr. Anton Titov, MD, a second opinion verifies that the initial cancer diagnosis is correct and complete. It also confirms the necessity of proposed surgery and helps patients choose the best personalized treatment plan, providing confidence and ensuring they are on the optimal path for their specific situation.

Choosing the Best Cancer Surgeon and Center

Selecting the right treatment center and surgeon is paramount for a successful rectal cancer outcome. Patients should seek out hospitals with high rankings in national quality registries and surgeons who specialize in advanced, minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Torbjorn Holm, MD's insights reinforce that an empowered patient, armed with research and a second opinion, is best positioned to demand and receive the highest quality precision medicine treatment available.

Full Transcript

Dr. Anton Titov, MD: What rectal cancer treatment methods will be available to patients in the future? What are the most important trends in cancer treatment today? How can patients influence their cancer treatment options today?

A leading rectal cancer surgeon discusses diagnosis and surgical treatment of cancer. Better educated patients will demand the best treatment methods from their surgeons and oncologists. Minimally invasive rectal cancer surgery becomes the standard of care.

Dr. Torbjorn Holm, MD: I think we're living in a time where we have more and more focus on personalized medicine. That means that rectal cancer treatment must be tailored to the individual patient.

I think rectal cancer patients are getting more and more aware of how cancer should be treated. Rectal cancer patients are on the internet; they read a lot. We also have cancer patients' registries in many countries. There is quality scoring of the hospitals.

So many rectal cancer patients will seek treatment in hospitals that are highly ranked for good skills. I think that is one important future trend in rectal cancer treatment. The patient will demand high quality treatment much more than today.

I mean today or previously, patients had just gone to the local hospital, met their doctor, and trusted that doctor. In the future, patients would be much more aware and much more educated. Patients would seek treatment in the hospital for the best results, I am sure.

Also, for the individual rectal cancer patients, we will have molecular markers in the near future. Tumor markers will predict rectal cancer prognosis with high accuracy.

So in the near future, we will predict prognosis for a rectal cancer patient from biopsies. We will see what kind of genetic pattern the rectal cancer tumor has. We will be able to tailor the treatment for rectal cancer much better.

Some rectal cancer patients may not benefit from radiation therapy. Some rectal cancer patients may not benefit from chemotherapy. Some patients with rectal cancer have a very low risk of metastasis. Other rectal cancer patients have a high risk of metastases.

We will predict that much better just by multiple molecular markers in the future. Also, I think minimally invasive procedures for rectal cancer treatment will be much more common than they are today.

We can already see that minimally invasive surgery for rectal cancer treatment is increasing very rapidly. Now with the new robotic surgery, more patients have minimally invasive surgery to treat rectal cancer.