CANCER is arguably one of the most feared diseases and finding a cure for it is one of the Holy Grails of medicine. While that hasn’t happened yet, there have been remarkable medical breakthroughs in the treatment of this dreaded disease.

Survival rates have increased dramatically over the years and according to Professor Karol Sikora, one of the UK’s leading specialists and dean of the University of Buckingham Medical School, in 10 years the figure will be close to 70% in that country,

What this means is that for many, cancer will become a disease you live with rather than die from.

“Over the past decade there’s been a huge increase in our understanding of the molecular changes that occur in the body’s cells and lead to cancer,” Sikora says. “And in another 10 years we’ll understand a lot more. We’re making good progress.”

Here’s a round-up of some of the latest and most promising developments.

BLOOD TEST SPOTS CANCER BEFORE IT DEVELOPS

In one of the more exciting breakthroughs announced recently, scientists are developing a blood test that can diagnose any type of cancer a decade before symptoms appear.

Taking a sample of a patient’s blood and running it through a machine in the laboratory, they can check for any DNA shed by tumours – this starts circulating in the bloodstream long before patients feel symptoms – giving doctors an early warning the patient will develop cancer.

This DNA can tell scientists where tumours are growing and how far the cancer has spread. US researchers believe the test – known as liquid biopsy – could halve cancer death rates and would be particularly beneficial for the deadliest forms of the disease such as lung, pancreatic and ovarian cancer, which are often diagnosed late.