LLS CEO and President Louis J. DeGennaro speaks out about coming off a “phenomenal” year and what we can look forward to in 2016. He shares his optimism about a future with no chemotherapy, the use of the word “cure,” the increasing promise of immunotherapy, and the potential of having hundreds of compounds in development.
Six top topics that will be important for blood cancer patients and families:
- Precision Medicine. We’re continuing the track toward precision medicine, which means “the right treatment for the right person at the right time.” People may actually be able to forego toxic chemotherapy and instead benefit from targeted drugs prescribed based on one’s individual genetic make-up in the not-too-distant future. This is the goal of LLS’s groundbreaking BEAT AML initiative, which you’ll be hearing more about in coming months.
- Cures. At the recent American Society of Hematology meeting, where leading researchers shared their most recent advances, it was very encouraging to hear experts using a four-letter word when it comes to blood cancers -- “cure”! That was a word people shied away from for years but now we are starting to see it as a real possibility for many diseases.