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The president of the prestigious Medical Research Institute, cancerologist Thierry Philip. relies on immunotherapy and CAR T cells to treat solid tumors because they allow the patient's immune system to free itself from the cancer.
The uncomfortable radiology tests and colonoscopies to detect tumors. Five years from now, blood tests will be the general norm, says the president of the Marie Curie Medical Research Institute, cancerologist Thierry Philip, in an interview with EFE.
Due to tax changes in France, this year our funding for research will fall by 10%, there will be several dozen projects without funding," he warned.
The 71-year-old cancerologist also spoke about the possibilities of immunotherapy and CAR-T cell therapy in the treatment of the disease, the expansion of innovative proton-based healing technique and the tumors that will be more difficult to combat in the future, while criticizing the high prices of anti-cancer drugs.
"Tomorrow, to detect a tumor, we will not use a radio or a colonoscopy or other complicated things, we will do a blood draw where we work on the cellular systems circulating in it, we work a lot on it here," indicated the president of Curie.
He stressed that "in less than five years (this) will be the way to make a diagnosis to know how to act later" and recalled that this technique currently works when the disease has already been declared.
Among the treatments, Curie is one of the promoters of the one that is based on protons, more precise than other types of radiation therapy because it targets tumors without destroying surrounding healthy tissues.
"To treat children it works very well, for the brain as well and for the eye, Curie's great specialty," he added.
One of the main problems of this technique, still little propagated, is precisely the proton machine cost. Now it costs more than 100 million euros (about 122 million dollars at the current exchange rate) and the objective is to make it smaller to make it cheaper.
"We will be able to have smaller (machines) that will be able to go to all places within three or four years," he said.
Treat cancer in a personalized way
The specialist recalled that 40% of tumors can be avoided adopting a healthy lifestyle.
And in those that do manifest, there have been great advances, such as in lung cancer and childhood cancers (90% success in the latter).
However, there are two that particularly concern him for the coming years: "that of pancreas that is increasing considerably, we don't know why, and it is a very difficult cancer to cure, and brain cancer.
What would be your future bet to combat cancer? "Immunotherapy and CAR T cells for solid tumors, because it is a very personalized treatment and allows the immune system of the sick person free herself from cancer", alleged the head of Curie.
However, he pointed out as one of the main problems the progressive increase in the price of medicines.
"One solution is to tell pharmaceutical companies 'if you don't lower your prices, I will withdraw your license and make a generic'. It is a threat, but it is the same issue that is raised for (patents on) (anti-covid) vaccines," said.
The Curie, an international reference center for the fight against cancer, has weathered the crisis well. coronavirus in 2020.
However, the French government's tax changes in 2017 and 2018 have made donations difficult.
"I ask that there be stability at least during the presidential term, people have to understand the mechanisms to be able to do it, Donating is something ethical and moral, but it is also associated with tax reduction"added Philip, who estimated the drop in the budget dedicated to research at "three million euros" (about $3,6 million).
