Cancer cases in Southeast Asia are projected to increase by nearly 90 percent by 2050. This rise is driven by various factors, ranging from changes in the population age structure to disparities in healthcare access across different countries. This issue has drawn the attention of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI) to promote greater scientific understanding and research collaboration related to the disease. Therefore, FMIPA UI invited an expert from the School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Prof. Andrew Beckerman, as a speaker in the MIPA Talk Series 4 event.

The event, held on Friday (March 6, 2026) at the Prof. Dr. Ir. Soemantri Brodjonegoro Auditorium, FMIPA UI, Depok, featured a lecture titled Understanding How Cancer Works. The discussion was moderated by a lecturer from the Department of Biology, FMIPA UI, Astari Dwiranti, M.Eng., Ph.D.

In his presentation, Prof. Andrew explained that cancer is a disease that occurs when cells in the body grow uncontrollably and can spread to various parts of the body.

“Cancer is essentially a condition in which cells in the body lose control over their growth. These cells continue to divide and, in many cases, can spread to other parts of the body through a process known as metastasis,” said Prof. Andrew.

He explained that, in general, there are two main types of tumors, namely benign tumors (benign) and malignant tumors (malignant). Benign tumors usually grow relatively slowly and remain in their original location, for example in cases such as fibroids, polyps, or fatty lumps. In contrast, malignant tumors have the ability to spread to surrounding tissues and even to other organs through the process of metastasis.

Prof. Andrew also highlighted how the age structure of a population influences disease incidence in different countries. For example, only around two percent of Uganda’s population is aged over 65, while in Japan the figure reaches about 30 percent. Since many diseases occur more frequently in older age groups, countries with older populations tend to have higher disease incidence rates. To address this, researchers use the method of age-standardised rate age standardization to compare health data across countries more fairly.

In the global context, he noted that the incidence of cancer in the United Kingdom is expected to begin stabilizing. However, in the ASEAN region—such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia—the number of cancer cases is projected to increase significantly in the coming decades. In addition, there are disparities in the distribution of cancer incidence and mortality rates across various regions in Asia, which are related to the level of Human Development Index (HDI).

Furthermore, Prof. Andrew explained that cancer cells possess distinctive characteristics known as the hallmarks of cancer, which refer to a series of biological changes that enable cancer cells to grow, survive, and spread. Understanding these characteristics forms an important foundation for the development of modern cancer therapies.

“With advances in bioinformatics, genetic statistics, and machine learning, we can now analyze massive amounts of DNA data to better understand the mechanisms of cancer and discover more targeted therapies,” he added.

He also cited the development of genetics-based cancer therapies, one of which is the use of the drug Herceptin for breast cancer that targets the HER2 protein in cancer cells. The drug works by blocking cell growth signals, thereby slowing the progression of the tumor.

Another example is the use of the drug Gleevec in the treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). This drug is designed to inhibit the BCR-ABL protein formed as a result of genetic changes in blood cancer cells. With this therapy, around 80 percent of CML patients can now survive for 10 years or more after diagnosis.

Through the MIPA Talk Series program, FMIPA UI hopes to broaden the academic community’s insight into the latest developments in cancer research and encourage the use of genetics, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence in developing more effective therapies in the future.