12 Notable Advances in Cancer Treatment from 2022

The contributions of scientific advances to human health sometimes go unnoticed, or progress seems too slow. Yet important developments in cancer research occur every day. Indeed, nearly half of medical research worldwide is conducted in this field.

In this overview, we list notable cancer studies whose results were presented in 2022.

1. Combination Treatment for a Rare Stomach Tumor

One of the earliest targeted drugs (molecularly targeted cancer treatment), imatinib (Gleevec), is used for gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) , a rare stomach cancer for which it is standard treatment. However, patients often develop resistance to this drug. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center scientist and medical oncologist Dr. Ping Chi led a phase 2 clinical trial reporting that combining imatinib with another targeted drug, binimetinib (Mektovi), produced a much better response than usually seen with imatinib alone. Her study dated back more than a decade to her years as a research fellow. The findings were published online on January 18, 2022, in the Journal of Clinical Oncology .

2. Major Advances in Prostate Cancer

• For patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer positive for a protein called prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), the targeted radiopharmaceutical lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan (Pluvicto) received FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) approval on March 23, 2022. This was the latest advance in theranostics (therapeutics plus diagnostics), using radioactive substances to visualize and destroy cancer cells without harming normal cells.
• A new approach known as focal therapy emerged for prostate cancer considered "intermediate risk"—mostly small tumors confined to one part of the prostate. It uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). On June 14, 2022, a team led by urologic cancer surgeon Behfar Ehdaie published results of a phase 2 trial involving 101 patients in Lancet Oncology. The results showed that this less invasive method worked in 88% of participants.
• A technique called MRI-guided radiotherapy takes numerous MRI images during treatment sessions, adjusting in real time for tumor movement and position changes caused by breathing. It allows doctors to destroy tumors in 5 sessions without damaging nearby cells. Results demonstrating its safety and effectiveness were presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting in October 2022.

3. Treatments Developed for Bladder Cancer

• Bladder removal (radical cystectomy) is effective, but patients often worry about its impact on quality of life. A study led by urologic surgeon Dr. Bernard Bochner showed that patients recover well after radical cystectomy. A survey of 411 people found no significant decline in quality of life after surgery—even within the first 3 months. The findings were published in March 2022 in European Urology .
• Positive results were reported for a new combination treatment for metastatic bladder cancer. The efficacy of enfortumab vedotin and the immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was tested, and the combination was shown to shrink tumors in approximately 65% of patients. Results were presented in September 2022 at the European Society for Medical Oncology annual meeting.

4. A Surgical Milestone in Preserving Fertility in Young Cancer Patients

The first known uterine transposition surgery in the US was reported by gynecologic surgeon Dr. Mario Leitao and colleague Dr. Jennifer Mueller in April 2022. This revolutionary operation temporarily moves the uterus to the abdominal wall to avoid radiation damage to the pelvis. Numerous specialists participated in the complex procedure, first performed in a woman with colorectal cancer. It was subsequently performed in other patients, requiring a highly coordinated treatment plan.

5. Rectal Cancer Disappears After Experimental Immunotherapy

A small but historic study led by medical oncologist Dr. Andrea Cercek and colleague Dr. Luis Diaz found that immunotherapy completely eliminated cancer in patients with rectal cancer (cancer of the final part of the large bowel) with certain gene mutations. They could thereby avoid the side effects of demanding standard treatments such as radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy. The checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy dostarlimab (Jemperli) was tested in patients with stage 2 or 3 rectal cancer classified as mismatch repair deficient (MMRd) or microsatellite unstable (MSI). The 14 patients in the studies remained cancer-free after more than two years. Results were published in June 2022 in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and presented the same day at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting.

6. An mRNA Vaccine Shows Positive Results in Pancreatic Cancer

mRNA vaccines, brought to worldwide attention by the Covid-19 pandemic, were already being studied for cancer treatment before it. Studies published by different teams this year tested their effects on pancreatic cancer. The key is proteins specific to pancreatic cancer cells, called neoantigens, which tell the immune system to recognize and attack the cancer. Vaccines are personalized and expected to work by recognizing pancreatic cancer cells and stimulating immune cells to destroy them.

7. Innovative HER2-Targeted Drugs in Breast and Lung Cancer

• The first targeted treatment for patients with unresectable breast cancer that has spread elsewhere and has low HER2 levels, transtuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd or Enhertu), received FDA approval on August 5, 2022, based on an international study. It showed that T-DXd inhibits HER2 even when protein levels are low. These positive results, achieved in 55% of breast cancer patients in the study, were published in NEJM .
• On August 11, 2022, the FDA also approved T-DXd for non-small cell lung cancer caused by HER2 gene mutations. This antibody–drug conjugate has two components: a potent chemotherapy payload and an antibody that homes in on cancer cells. By delivering chemotherapy directly to the target, the antibody reduces the side effects seen with conventional chemotherapy. This conjugate is more effective than other HER2-targeted drugs.

8. Molecular Testing for Personalized Treatment of Rare Sarcomas

The two largest studies analyzing the genetics of sarcomas, rare cancers of bone and soft tissue, were conducted. Sarcomas generally tend to respond less to conventional chemotherapy and newer immunotherapies, making molecularly/genetically targeted treatment particularly important. Thousands of sarcomas that are especially difficult to diagnose and treat were analyzed, and findings were published on June 15, 2022, in Nature Communications. These specialized molecular tests can suggest tailored treatments that are more effective and have fewer side effects than standard chemotherapy.

9. A Promising New CAR-T Cell Therapy for Multiple Myeloma

A new CAR T-cell therapy, engineering a patient's own immune cells to attack cancer, was shown to be safe and effective in treating the blood cancer multiple myeloma. It targets a protein called GPR5CD. In a study of 17 patients whose multiple myeloma had progressed on previous treatments, 71% responded. Their cancers shrank or disappeared, though some experienced serious side effects. Among 12 patients receiving lower doses, the dose with manageable side effects produced a 58% response rate. The study was published on September 9, 2022, in NEJM.

10. FDA Approves a New Immunotherapy Combination for Advanced Liver Cancer

For patients with hepatocellular cancer, the most common liver cancer, the combination of immunotherapies Imfinzi and Imjudo received FDA approval on October 24, 2022. In the HIMALAYA trial of 1117 patients, those receiving the new combination had higher 3-year survival than those receiving only the kinase inhibitor sorafenib (Nexavar) (20.2% versus 30.7%). Survival was 24.7% with durvalumab alone. In other words, the combination reduced the risk of death by 22%.

11. FDA Approves a Targeted Drug for Rare Blood Disorders Called Histiocytic Cancers

A study led by neuro-oncologist Dr. Eli Diamond led to FDA approval of cobimetinib (Cotellic) on November 1, 2022, for a group of blood disorders including Erdheim-Chester disease, Rosai-Dorfman disease, and Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Laboratory research identified cobimetinib, a targeted drug already approved for melanoma, as a potentially effective treatment for histiocytosis.

12. A Study Shows How Lung Cancer Survival Could Be Improved

A study showing that lung cancer survival could improve was published on November 10, 2022, in Nature Medicine . Liquid biopsies are blood tests designed to detect small amounts of circulating cancer DNA and can identify the targeted drugs expected to work best for each patient. The study followed more than 1000 patients receiving treatment for non-small cell lung cancer who underwent liquid biopsy. Patients who accessed targeted therapies after molecular testing had a 37% reduction in deaths.