The Pat Kenny Show Professor John Crown on cancer treatments developments
9 snips
Sep 18, 2025 Professor John Crown, a leading oncologist and professor at DCU and UCD, shares insights on groundbreaking developments in cancer treatments. He highlights the shift from traditional chemotherapy to targeted therapies, emphasizing the incredible advances in the last decade. Crown discusses the transformative HER2-targeted therapy for breast cancer and the historic role of US government funding in cancer research. He also notes the importance of exercise in reducing cancer relapse risk and teases upcoming experimental vaccines for difficult cancers.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Rapid Shift From Chemo To Modern Therapies
- Cancer treatment has transformed in the last decade with many drugs now unavailable ten years ago.
- Patients increasingly receive modern non-chemotherapy therapies that control disease long-term.
Herceptin’s Origin Story
- John Crown recounts Dr. Dennis Lehman's discovery of a change in 20% of breast cancers that led to Herceptin.
- Herceptin redirected oncology away from broad chemotherapy toward targeted treatments.
Big Public Funding Fueled Breakthroughs
- Large public investment (e.g., US National Cancer Act) drove decades of cancer-research progress.
- Understanding cancer biology enabled targeted drug development, a multi-decade scientific effort.