Thanks to new medical innovations, every five years for the past 30 years, life expectancies have been extended by a year. New discoveries have practically eliminated diseases such as smallpox and polio and have reduced human suffering from countless conditions. Scientists have turned their attention to eradicating cancer, heart disease, and diabetes and medical research and resulting innovations are bringing us closer than ever to preventions, treatments, and cures for these and other deadly and disabling diseases.

Here are 10 promising breakthroughs that may significantly change how patients are diagnosed and treated in the next decade:

1. 3-D Surgery

   Surgeons have traditionally relied on two-dimensional x-rays to view affected areas before surgery, and on invasive techniques to locate hard-to-reach tumors or damaged organs once in the operating room. New image-guided surgery combines CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging, and light emitting diode cameras that together create a three-dimensional real-time image of the surgical field and the precise location of tumors.

   These image-guided procedures are significantly less invasive and require smaller incisions, with many patients experiencing less blood loss and pain and speedier recovery times. Many of these procedures are also less expensive and less risky than traditional surgeries and require shorter operating times.

   Image-guided surgery has many applications and is particularly useful to neurosurgeons in their preoperative assessments for brain tumor surgery. With this new technology, surgeons can more confidently remove brain tumors without causing new injuries to delicate structures.

2. Targeting Tau

   Neurofibrillary tangles are a hallmark characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. Consisting primarily of the protein tau, tangles form when tau clumps instead of moving essential nutrients through nerve cells. Research shows that even before tangles form, abnormally high levels of tau can disrupt cell function, damaging neurons and causing memory loss.

   Several pharmaceutical companies are exploring drugs that would specifically target tau and hopefully keep the tangles from forming. They would do so by inhibiting the chemical modifications of tau that causes it to clump. This research is being closely watched and would potentially slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer’s for the over 20 million Americans who are expected to be affected by the disease by 2050.

3. Mapping Prostate Tumors

   Measuring the size and scope of a prostate tumor has always been based to some extent on guesswork. If an abnormal PSA test suggests a potential tumor, doctors usually perform a transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy, which removes samples from the prostate to detect the presence of cancer. Unfortunately, the fewer than 20 samples collected during the procedure do not provide much information about the tumor's size.

   A new biopsy technique, 3-D mapping, is used to map a grid of the prostate through the skin, and determine how much cancer there is and its exact location. With this tool, doctors can collect as many as 100 samples to obtain more accurate diagnosis that inform their treatment decisions. This technology will reduce the number of radical surgeries necessary to treat the more than 232,000 men who are estimated to be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and give them the option of choosing less aggressive treatments.

4. Emerging Cancer Vaccines

   To date, there are no vaccines that can prevent cancer; however, recently developed vaccines protect against viruses that are associated with certain cancers such as the hepatitis B virus and liver cancer. Researchers are also currently testing a vaccine that prevents infection from the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is linked to the majority of cervical cancer cases.

   Another type of vaccine that shows great promise in fighting cancer is a vaccine given to cancer patients in order to strengthen their bodies’ immune systems and to prevent the further growth of cancer, the recurrence of treated cancers, and the remainder of cancer cells not killed by treatments. Studies have shown that experimental cancer vaccines are effective in stimulating the immune system and in some cases, halting the progression of the disease and even reducing tumor size. Eventually, multiple vaccines may increase survival rates from this deadly disease.

5. Lung Cancer Tumor-Reducer

   The prognosis and survival rates for lung cancer patients are typically poor because early diagnosis has proven difficult. Nearly 60% of people diagnosed with lung cancer die within one year of diagnosis and 75% die within two years.

   But there is hope on the horizon. Researchers have discovered that bexarotene, a compound related to vitamin A, has cancer-fighting properties, particularly when battling deadly lung cancer. Studies with mice susceptible to lung cancer have shown that those treated with bexarotene had fewer and smaller malignant tumors than those not treated. The compound inhibits the progression of tumors from benign to malignant and reduces the overall number of tumors. In human trials, bexarotene has extended the survival rate of patients with the most common type of lung cancer. Bexarotene is already used to treat cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of cancer that primarily affects the skin.

6. Freezing out Arrhythmias

   Arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, affect approximately 4 million Americans each year, primarily older adults. If left untreated, arrhythmias can lead to serious consequences including heart failure. Patients are typically treated with radiofrequency catheter ablation, which burns the heart tissue near the source of the arrhythmia. This procedure can cause serious complications such as stroke.

   A new, safer method of treating these patients is cryoablation. This technique uses sub-zero temperatures that destroy the cells causing the abnormal heartbeats. Surgeons test the procedure by first inserting a catheter tip with a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius, freezing the tissue that is interfering with the heart’s normal electrical impulses. If the target site is accurate, the temperature is dropped to -70 degrees Celsius, thereby killing the targeted cells.

   Studies have shown great success with this procedure and patients report no pain during the procedure and few complications and adverse reactions. A number of medical centers now offer this treatment option.

7. Good Cholesterol Therapy for Clogged Arteries

   Although LDL (bad) cholesterol-lowering drugs have made a huge impact on heart disease by halting the build-up of plaque in the arteries, they don’t reverse the damage already done or remove the plaque that is already there. A new experimental drug, ETC-216 is a synthetic HDL (good) cholesterol compound that caused significant reduction of arterial plaque within two weeks of treatment during clinical trials. Like HDL, the compound transports excess cholesterol and other fats to the liver for elimination.

   Still in clinical trials, ETC-215 may eventually be used intravenously following heart attacks and other coronary events. This is the first time that a drug treatment has shown evidence of not only preventing the progression of heart disease, but also in reversing its effects.

8. Inhaled Insulin

   The more than 5 million Americans who struggle with insulin shots to control their diabetes will soon have a pain-free option. Later this year, the first inhaled insulin will be released for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The insulin is in a powder form that is inhaled before meals.

   Scientists have been studying injection alternatives, such as insulin patches, pumps, and pills, for decades. Inhaled insulin is the most promising mode of insulin delivery to date although some users may still have to take long-acting insulin via injections. Clinical trials showed that the control of blood sugar levels was comparable to patients using four insulin injections

9. Super Cells Boost Brain Activity

   Non-specialized stem cells can develop into different cell types in the body, replenishing damaged cells. Scientists are studying the use of stem cells to create dopamine neurons, the brain cells that help control muscle movements and that are linked with Parkinson’s disease.

   By manipulating embryonic bone marrow stem cells into dopamine neurons, researchers may have found a way to replace damaged dopamine neurons with healthy dopamine-producing cells. Further study will determine the effectiveness of using stem cell-derived neurons in treating rats with Parkinson’s disease.

10. Repairing Stroke-Damaged Nerves

    A collaborative research team from California and Japan discovered that new drugs based on a compound commonly found in the body, prostaglandin, trigger the production of antioxidants that repair nerve damage in mice. Antioxidants eliminate free radicals, which are associated with strokes and degenerative brain illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease. In effect, the drugs trigger the body to rid itself of nerve damage caused by free radicals.

    Preliminary studies show that the drugs specifically target nerve cells and may be less toxic than previous drugs of this type. Although a marketable drug is a long way off, this discovery is the first time that researchers have been able to induce the release of specific antioxidants directly into nerve cells where damage from stroke occurs.