In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Cancer Act, Dr. Victor Chang shares his motivation for pursuing a career in cancer research:
What brought you to work in cancer research?
I have had a strong interest in cancer research since my undergraduate days at Brown and in medical school due to strong influence from my research mentors. As an undergraduate I had done bench and clinical research relating to multiple myeloma. My research thesis in medical school dealt with the influence of viruses in cancer genesis. In my residency and fellowship training at Yale, I spent much of the time with Dr. Bernard Forget looking at defects in transcription factors or "switches" that could lead to unchecked cell growth or proliferation.
Where do you see the future of cancer research?
For the immediate future, cancer genomics is paving the way for not only diagnosis, but also treatment of malignant diseases. Treatment is being better tailored for each individual patient. In addition, it is allowing for development of test or tools to predict and anticipate clinical outcome.
What are some of the advances you have seen during your career?
It is an exciting time for clinical oncology. For me, it is analogous to infectious disease doctors discovering penicillin or antibiotics. Resting on the foundation of molecular genetics, we now have treatment targeted at cancer as opposed to "pouring poison" into the veins of patients. Immunotherapy is showing impressive promise in the treatment of many types of cancer. Specifically, the check-point inhibitors are indirectly boosting a patient's immune system to fight cancer. Our own immune system is turning out to the most potent tool to fight cancer.
Why is it so important to encourage younger and diverse groups to pursue a career in cancer research?
All the advances in clinical oncology, including treatment, rest on past bench and clinical or translational research. For us to continue the tremendous progress that we have seen in our generation, we need to ensure that there are young physicians and scientists coming up who will continue to roll back the frontier of knowledge in medicine.
Advice that you would give to someone considering a career in cancer research?
A career in cancer research is a noble pursuit. The road is likely long and arduous but most worthwhile. It requires focus and often delayed gratification. The knowledge that you gather in your endeavor may be seemingly of no immediate consequence, but it will contribute to the collective understanding and lead to breathtaking advances.