I have written before about techniques for immunotherapy stimulation that are being investigated new methods for treating cancer. What this does is turn the body’s own immune system to cancer-destroying mode, which some cancers have the ability to turn off and that permits them to grow and advance.

The data being presented both on TV and in the news media show that that immunotherapy is effective in treating cancer — even late-stage cancer, for which the prognosis for survival is often grim.

Additionally, there is now a research project combining two immunotherapy techniques to see if they can control cancer.

Immunotherapy does have some side effects, so it’s not without risk.

Currently, the Cancer Centers of America and some major hospitals provide immunotherapy. There is, however, increasing emphasis. In the future, it may very well be the treatment of choice in medical centers and major cancer centers.

Hopefully, with the changing concept and recognition that there are effective treatments other than chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy for cancer that we will do a better job or eliminating cancer.

There are also now data to suggest that individuals in their 30s and 40s should have evaluations for colon cancer because the incidence of colon cancer in this age group has significantly increased in the last decade.

With the non-invasive technique of Coligard evaluation — where you simply provide a sample of your stool and send it to a lab — evaluation for the early detection of colon cancer is much easier today. This technique should be investigated in this at-risk age group.

Remember that colonoscopy requires conscious sedation. In my experience, there patients have suffered cognitive defects after conscious sedation for a colonoscopy.

Therefore, the technique of CT colonoscopy or the developing technique of MRI colonoscopy should be considered because it doesn’t  require conscious sedation.

With the newer techniques of detecting early cancer and improving techniques of treatment, hopefully in the near future we will be able to control the cancer problem.