Less toxic and prolongs life: scientists have found a new way to fight cancer

The medicine used in cancer immunotherapy can save some patients from debilitating chemotherapy and also prolong their life, the researchers say. Writes about this with the BBC.

Фото: Depositphotos

A clinical trial found that a drug called pembrolizumab stopped the progression of various types of head and neck cancer for an average of two years—five times longer than chemotherapy.

It also produced far fewer side effects.

"I can live a normal life"

70-year-old Derek Kitcherside of their county of Leicestershire (Britain) is sure that he would not have been in this world if it had not been for pembrolizumab.

In 2011, he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. When, three years later, after standard treatment, he began to cough up blood, he was told that the cancer had spread to the lungs and might not be treatable anymore.

Derek asked to take part in clinical trials and traveled to London every three weeks for treatment with pembrolizumab.

“The tumor was constantly shrinking, and after each visit I felt better and better,” he said. “It changed my life a lot.”

Derek’s condition is regularly checked using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which shows that the cancer is not developing and the tumor is still shrinking.

On the subject: American scientists have found a possible cause of cancer

“I’m very glad that I can continue to live normally,” says Derek. “I think without the medicine I wouldn’t be alive.”

What is immunotherapy?

This treatment, which does not kill the cancer cells themselves, but stimulates the body's immune system so that it can detect and attack them.

Pembrolizumab is already used to treat a wide range of advanced cancers, including melanoma, a type of skin cancer that spreads very quickly.

According to experts, it can be used to treat many other types of this disease.

When is it used?

Immunotherapy is usually used if standard treatment, such as chemotherapy, has failed. But this study, conducted on 882 patients from 37 countries, suggests that it should be used earlier, and for some people this should be the preferred first treatment option.

The drug is regularly administered to patients through a dropper, but now the treatment is carried out if the cancer has returned or spread and is considered incurable.

Why is it better than current methods?

According to the study, this treatment is softer, safer, and can also extend the life of patients for a longer period.

However, immunotherapy may not be suitable for everyone.

When treating people with advanced head and neck cancer, the drug helped one in four - their disease became less aggressive or stabilized over an average of 23 months.

For comparison, although a significant proportion of patients (36%) responded positively to standard chemotherapeutic treatment, they improved on average only four and a half months.

On the subject: 'Overlap cancer oxygen': for which they gave the Nobel Prize in medicine

Patients with larger and more aggressive tumors were given the drug in combination with chemotherapy to help slow down the progression of the disease: in this case, the disease could be kept on average for seven months.

Who can she help?

According to Professor Kevin Harrington, a clinical oncology consultant at The Royal Marsden NHS Founation Trust, who led the study, the main task is to identify people with tumors who will respond to this treatment.

Doctors can solve this problem by testing for the presence of the PD-L1 immune marker in the tumor.

Professor Harrington says around 85% of people with advanced or recurrent head and neck cancer can be treated with pembrolizumab - that's about 1300 patients a year.

Why is this treatment milder?

Today, the main recommended treatment is a toxic combination of chemotherapy and antibody therapy, which often leaves patients feeling very unwell. This extreme treatment can also cause damage to the kidneys, hands and feet.

Patients treated with immunotherapy experienced far fewer side effects. "It's smarter and less toxic - patients live longer and feel better," says Professor Harrington.

What does this mean for cancer patients?

“This is a very interesting and promising study,” says Professor Paul Workman from the Institute of Cancer Research. “Firstly, because it demonstrates that immunotherapy can have significant benefits for some patients with head and neck cancer when used as initial treatment, and secondly, because the researchers have developed a test to identify those patients who are likely to benefit from it.” will help".

On the subject: The elixir of youth and the longevity gene: how modern science fights aging

According to him, all new drugs entering the market should be accompanied by a test to determine exactly who they are most likely to help, who are his target recipients.

In the United States and the EU, pembrolizumab has already been approved for self-administration and, together, chemotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer. In the UK this has not happened yet.

The National Institute of Health and Best Practices is currently evaluating the drug. It can be approved in the country by the summer of 2020.

Read also on ForumDaily:

American scientists have found a possible cause of cancer

'America is an opportunity to become a professional': how a Russian surgeon performs unique operations in the USA

The elixir of youth and the longevity gene: how modern science fights aging

Better than humans: which professions will soon be mastered by robots

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.