Scientists may have found a cure for cancer: how the drug works that caused remission in all subjects

When a small trial of a cancer drug yields an unprecedented result - 100 percent of participants went into remission - oncologists and patients are wondering if it can be applied to other types of tumors. Read more about a potential cure for cancer told the publication The Washington Post.

Photo: Shutterstock

The study, conducted at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, has excited oncologists with the prospect that immunotherapy (the type of treatment used in the trial) is very effective against tumors with specific abnormalities.

All study participants had tumors with an abnormality known as DNA mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency, a mutation that occurs in 5-10% of rectal cancers and is also present in tumors of the endometrium, bladder, breast, and prostate.

While the study was conducted on patients who have a tumor mutation, the results provide a blueprint for how immunotherapy drugs can be tailored to target specific tumors, which, due to their mutation, tend to be more resistant to conventional drugs, explained Julie Gralow, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

“It's really the concept of being able to match a tumor and the genomics of what causes it with a therapy,” Gralow said. “It may even be possible to go beyond just this subset of rectal cancer.”

The Sloan Kettering study, which began in late 2019, involved 14 patients with early-stage rectal cancer with the same tumor mutation who were previously untreated. They were given the drug dostarlimab every three weeks for six months. Tumors completely disappeared in all patients.

On the subject: A medical student during a lecture on oncology realized that she had cancer, and was right

The results mark the first time that immunotherapy itself has eliminated the need for chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery, which can cure patients but leave them with life-altering consequences such as infertility, intestinal and sexual dysfunction, or permanent dependence on an ostomy bag.

The authors of the study note that in the very first patient, more than 2 years have passed since the completion of treatment. All patients will be followed up for a minimum of five years to ensure there is no regrowth or reappearance of the tumor.

What is dostarlimab

Dostarlimab, developed by a Massachusetts biotech company called Tesaro before it was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in 2019, is known by the brand name Jemparli. NBC New York.

First approved in the US for cancer treatment in early 2021, dostarlimab is a monoclonal antibody.

Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory antibodies designed to fight specific diseases.

The term has become more widely known in the last two years, with the emergence of a plethora of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of COVID-19.

Dostarlimab is specifically designed to block a specific protein involved in cancer cells called PD-1.

Significant achievement

Scott Kopec, Professor of Gastrointestinal Oncology at the Cancer Center. Anderson in Houston, called the study "a significant advance in this field" and described the way immunotherapy has been used to treat MMR-deficient tumors as "absolutely revolutionary."

“The idea of ​​using immunotherapy in patients with early-stage, localized colorectal cancer is certainly gaining momentum,” he said. A new study shows that “if we manage to properly engage the immune system, we can eradicate” these cancers.

Even advanced cancer showed sensitivity to drugs like the one used in the trial. Known as "checkpoint inhibitors," these drugs block a specific cancer cell protein that can cause the immune system to hinder its response to fight cancer rather than detect and destroy the tumor. After being eradicated for several years, the cancer rarely comes back, according to Kopec.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

Data from other studies show that 70 percent of people with metastatic colorectal tumors who received immunotherapy were cancer-free, and there was no recurrence after 5 years. According to the professor, this is a huge progress in the treatment of a terrible disease. Metastatic cancer is even more difficult to treat than tumors located in the rectum or colon.

The study has its own nuances. Scientists have warned that six months is not enough time to know if patients' cancer is gone forever. As Kopec noted, these drugs often need to be taken for a year or two before patients can stop taking them and be confident that their tumor is gone. However, unlike chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the drugs are usually well tolerated.

Perhaps more importantly, the genetic defect in these patients' tumors that allows the drugs to be so effective is much less common in other cancers than in colon and endometrial cancer. According to the professor, a person with lung or brain cancer who does not have this defect has a much lower chance of such a cure.

David Ryan, director of clinical oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that while the treatment used in the study could become more affordable, not everyone who can receive treatment will have access to specialists to help monitor such patients and intervene if tumors will return.

ASCO's Gralow said the study confirms that the future of cancer treatment is a narrower approach based on the type of cancer, such as a personalized plan tailored to the specific characteristics of the tumor.

“This gives me hope that we will be able to find the same treatment for other types of cancer,” she suggested.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Hurricane season has begun in the USA: step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for storms

Five good habits that can extend life by decades

12 phenomena on our planet that even scientists cannot believe

Ten real places that look like a fairy tale

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.