Khaberni - Cancer affects the lives of most families, whether through a relative or a friend, while scientific research is dedicated year-round to developing innovative treatments that enhance healing rates, and 2025 was no exception.
This report from "I-F-L Science" includes a roundup of last year's most significant advancements in cancer treatment.
Radiation therapy
At the start of 2025, an Australian study provided answers to a perplexing puzzle. We knew that radiation therapy was effective for many types of cancer, but the real reason was unknown until a team at the Sydney Institute for Pediatric Research discovered that not only does it kill cancer cells, but the method of their death is also crucial.
Cancer cells that die during normal cellular division are ignored by the immune system. The best method is for the cells to survive long enough to release signals that the immune system interprets as an infection.
When immune cells intervene to eliminate the dead cells, some other tumor cells fall victim to this attack.
Dr. Tony Cesar, the lead researcher, said: "Now that we understand this mechanism, there are drugs that could make radiation therapy more effective" and we might finally understand the vulnerability of many cancer types after solving this longstanding mystery.
Targeting Cancer by Inhibiting Enzymes
In April, more research emerged, finding why drugs targeting the enzyme CDK7 are effective in slowing tumor growth.
It turns out that the enzyme CDK7 is a key in many types of cancer. Inhibiting it can stop cell proliferation entirely by disabling several subsequent transcription factors.
Since cancer is characterized by uncontrolled cell growth, stopping this proliferation is half the battle.
And while enzyme CDK7 plays important roles in the body as well, completely disabling it is not an option.
Instead, thanks to this improved understanding, scientists now hope to develop a drug that inhibits the enzyme CDK7 precisely, achieving anticancer effects without completely halting its activity.
Vaccine Engineering
Experimental nanovaccines have shown remarkable efficacy in stopping the development of breast, pancreatic, and skin cancers in their tracks.
Many have long dreamed of a cancer vaccine, and recent advancements are bringing it closer to reality than ever before. A new study published last fall demonstrated the potential of a nanovaccine enhanced by a "super adjuvant" - a vaccine component that stimulates an immune response.
By engineering a vaccine that triggers multiple types of immune responses, the team achieved astonishing results in mice: 88% of the vaccinated mice were protected against pancreatic cancer, and75% from breast cancer, and69% from skin cancer.
In addition to preventing tumor formation in the first place, the vaccine may also prevent the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.
Gene Therapy
At the end of the year 2025, researchers announced the development of a new radical treatment that eliminated the disease in 64% of patients with refractory cancer.
The success of the first phase of clinical trials was announced.
The first patient to undergo therapy was a British teenager who had not responded to first-line chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant treatments and is now disease-free for 3 years.
Among other patients in the small trial, 82% achieved "very deep healing," while 64% are still free from any signs of the disease.
Dr. Deborah Yallop, a hematologist consultant said: "We've seen impressive responses in eliminating blood cancer that seemed refractory - it's a very effective approach."
Timing of treatment
Determining the timing of immunotherapy for cancer in the morning could reduce the risk of death by up to 63%, according to a study that pointed out that the type of cancer treatment you receive is not the only influencing factor; timing also plays a significant role.
In a group of patients receiving immunotherapy for a type of lung cancer, setting their treatment appointments in the morning had an astonishingly positive effect.
Patients receiving treatment before 3:00 PM had a 63% lower risk of death and a 52% lower risk of noticeable cancer progression in screenings.
The findings of this study are of major importance, as it is crucial for doctors to be aware of this: "This study has immediate clinical application and has the potential to change current treatment protocols for small cell lung cancer," the researchers said.
