Dr. J. Leonard Lichtenfeld
Dr J Leonard Lichtenfeld of American Cancer Society Talks Cancer In 2017
This week I hosted Dr. J. Leonard Licthenfeld, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, with the American Cancer Society (ACS).
We have made considerable progress over the past 25 years in the treatment of cancer. Unfortunately
we still are not able to help enough people survive. There are many elements that have made this success possible, including research, education, access
and advocacy.
However, we still have a long way to go. Prevention, screening, access to high quality
care, appropriate support through palliative care programs, and investing in research are all important
parts of the cancer continuum.
We have seen exciting advances in cancer treatment recently, with a better understanding of the
genomics of cancer leading to targeted therapies, the introduction of new immunotherapies which have
offered hope where little existed previously, and even newer treatments which have been effective in
treating patients who have failed all other available therapies (such as CAR T recently approved by the
FDA for the treatment of a specific form of leukemia).
All of this comes with a cost: research—including innovative, basic research—has to be supported. We
need to find ways to get more drugs more quickly from the laboratory to the bedside, we have to
wrestle with the cost of new drugs, which can sometimes be so prohibitive that patients and families
can’t afford them, and we have to recognize that not everyone has access to the best and most
appropriate care resulting in disparities throughout our state nation that must be addressed.
Find ACS on:
