Cervical cancer is the most common among women. It can be caused by various factors like Human papillomavirus (HPV), smoking, weakened immunity, multiple sex and family history. Thus, there is an increased need for a precision medical approach to treating it, which helps to treat people based on their genetic makeup, lifestyle, and specific health factors. Today, we are going to discuss precision medicine approaches in treating cervical cancer. 

What is Cervical cancer?

The cervix is the long, narrow end of the uterus that connects the uterus to the vagina. Cervical cancer refers to the abnormal growth of the cells in the cervix, which is a long, narrow end of the uterus that connects the uterus and the vagina. 

Unlocking Personalized Solutions: Precision Medicine in Cervical Cancer Treatment

Personalized medicine (PM) or precision medicine is a developing methodology for treating and preventing tumors in our body. Cervical cancer can be effectively treated by precision medicine approaches, which are given below:

1. Target therapy

Target therapy is a type of cancer treatment that particularly targets proteins that control the growth, division, and spread of the cancer cells. Anticancer medicines like Bevacizumab, tisotumab–vedotin are effective in treating cervical cancer.

The target medicines like EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitors) and VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Inhibitors) are involved in treating the cervical which has the EGFR and VEGF receptors, which are responsible for the growth and progression of tumors and the blood vessels (angiogenesis).

2. Immunotherapies

Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer. Immunotherapy medications are used as personalized medicine to treat cervical cancer cells. Medications like pembrolizumab and nivolumab are actively blocking checkpoint proteins from binding with their partner (checkpoint inhibitors). 

For example, PD-1 Inhibitors target the PD-1 pathway, boosting the immune system's ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

3. Combination of Medications

Recently, it has been found that the combination of chemotherapy anticancer medicine like paclitaxel and cisplatin along with bevacizumab is considered the preferred treatment for metastatic or recurrent cervical cancer. Cisplatin belongs to the medication class known as an alkylating agent. It is an antineoplastic medicine used to treat cervical cancer.

4. Palliative care

Palliative care includes prevention and management of symptoms, pain relief, and psychosocial and spiritual support to the patients to overcome cervical cancer. It provides a multidisciplinary team approach involving the patient, their family, and close support persons, community health workers, special palliative care workers, and a health care worker.

Advantages Of Precision Medicine 

1. Prevention and early detection: Precision medicine helps to identify the risk or presence of the disease before clinical signs and symptoms appear. This can be achieved by the application of biomarkers in the patients. For e.g., serum miR-1290 is a biomarker helpful in the early detection of cervical cancer.
2. Reduce the error in the treatment: It is estimated that up to 50% of patients do not benefit from the first medication that was given to them in the treatment. This error in the treatment can be reduced or eliminated by using genetic and molecular screening in the patients, which allows the selection of an optimal therapy the first time and reduces error and unnecessary confusion during cervical cancer treatment.
3. Avoid side effects: Precision medicine helps to reduce or avoid the side effects caused by the medication, which is irrelevant to the patient's needs. It can help to improve the safety and efficacy of the medicine in treating cervical cancer.
4. Increase patient adherence: Patients can be informed about the genetic predisposition of cervical cancer, which helps to lower the risk of cervical cancer, which can be spread and inherited through family history.
5. Improve the efficacy of the medication: Precision medicine helps improve the efficacy of the medication when treated in a genetically defined group of patients compared to the generalized treatment.

Conclusion

Precision medicine can help to reduce the side effects and improve the survival rate of cervical cancer patients. Further research and development will help to improve precision medicine and its accessibility in the field of cervical cancer and its treatment.