More than a dozen rectal cancer patients in the United States have seen their cancer disappear after undergoing experimental immunotherapy, in what many (in the medical field or not) would call an astounding result.
The participants were part of a small clinical trial led by researchers from New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center.
All participants were given an experimental drug called dostarlimab every three weeks for six months. The cancer seemingly vanished in every single one of them — undetectable by physical exam, endoscopy, PET scans or MRI scans, the researchers said. Dostarlimab, made by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline costs around $11,000 per dose, is classified as an immunotherapy, and works by exposing the cancers cells so that the patients’ immune system can identify and destroy them.
After six months (or more) of follow-up, the participants continued to remain in remission — without the need for the standard treatments of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy — and the cancer has not returned in any of the 14 patients- who have now been cancer-free for a range of six to 25 months after the trial ended.
Another surprise from the study was that none of the patients suffered serious side effects- which is amazing considering the ‘traditional’ treatment route of chemo and radiation comes with many side effects, long after the patient has completed their courses. "Surgery and radiation have permanent effects on fertility, sexual health, bowel and bladder function," said Dr. Andrea Cercek, a medical oncologist and principal investigator in the study, in an MSK news release. "The implications for quality of life are substantial, especially in those where standard treatment would impact childbearing potential. As the incidence of rectal cancer is rising in young adults, this approach can have a major impact."
Researchers agree the trial needs to now be replicated in a much bigger study, and noted that the small study focused only on patients who had a rare genetic signature in their tumors.
Seeing complete remission in 100% of patients tested is a very promising early signal- and could bring many positive outcomes for the future of cancer research.
Sources:
An experimental cancer drug had a 100% success rate: NPR
The full details of the trail were published in the New England Journal of Medicine
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