Oncology

Redefining cancer treatment to one day eliminate cancer as a cause of death.

We strive to eliminate cancer as a cause of death

AstraZeneca has more than half a century of experience in cancer research and the development of effective cancer therapies. Our ambition is to give even more cancer patients hope for better treatment with the help of new active ingredients. That's why we focus on research and development to create a new generation of medicines that have the potential to redefine cancer treatment.

In Switzerland, we are conducting clinical trials in various cancer types to advance clinical research to ultimately improve patient care and outcomes.

Key disease areas

Our focus is on some of the most hostile and hard-to-treat cancers. By understanding the complexities of cancer, we hope to achieve life-changing benefits for patients.

Our Oncology Clinical Strategy

Our Oncology Clinical Strategy is designed to transform survival

At AstraZeneca, we think differently about the underlying genetic causes of cancer. Our clinical strategy aims to transform survival by seeking to combat metastatic and resistant disease and providing options to treat early. We are defining new biomarkers and therapeutic targets that cut across multiple tumour types. We are transforming the way people with cancer are diagnosed and treated by looking in new places, beyond traditional classifications and focusing on the properties of a tumour, not just its type.

Our scientific platforms

At AstraZeneca, our advances across our six scientific platforms have helped to improve patient outcomes. Further developments in epigenetics and across cell, gene and combination therapy hold the promise of new possibilities.

Immuno-Oncology (IO)

Activating the body’s own immune system to help fight cancer.

Tumour Drivers and Resistance (TDR)

Targeting the genetic mutations and resistance mechanisms that enable cancer cells to evade treatment, survive, and proliferate.

DNA Damage Response (DDR)

Targeting the DNA repair process to block cancer cells’ ability to reproduce.

Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC)

Delivering highly potent cancer-killing agents directly to cancer cells via a linker attached to a targeted antibody.

Cell Therapy

Harnessing living cells to target cancer.

Epigenetics

Identifying epigenetic changes (how the genome is expressed) and deploying inhibitors targeting key processes in cancer cells.

Patient Experience

Through collaborations with the whole cancer community, we are uncovering unique insights on how we can establish new standards of screening, diagnostics and treatment.

Lung Ambition Alliance

 

Lung cancer is at the forefront of AstraZeneca’s research and development focus. Our expanding portfolio aims to provide medicines that can improve outcomes at every stage of the disease. But we know if we are to make meaningful progress for lung cancer patients, we cannot work alone. In Switzerland, we are supporting the USZ Foundation to ensure that patients can benefit as quickly as possible from novel methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatments. Our work as part of the Lung Ambition Alliance (LAA) aims to double five-year survival in lung cancer through early diagnosis, delivering innovative medicine and quality care.

 

HAYA to improve the oncology care pathway

 

We developed an integrated oncology patient management platform known as HAYA to simultaneously allow for greater continuity and connectivity of care, developed with HCPs and patient groups. The concept for HAYA existed before the pandemic hit, but COVID-19 allowed us to accelerate development and deployment so patient care could safely continue.

New Normal, Same Cancer

 

In the first stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, AstraZeneca engaged the global patient community and partnered with global patient coalitions representing over 650 patient groups and more than 14 million patients from around the world to create ‘New Normal, Same Cancer.’ The campaign urges cancer patients to return to cancer services following the disruption to care due to COVID-19. It centres around three simple actions: Don’t wait. Contact your doctor. Get checked. In Switzerland the campaign has been launched by the patient platform “Leben mit Krebs” (Living with cancer), in partnership with AstraZeneca

 

Learn more

CH-4301; 06/2021