New cancer research pioneered by Memorial Sloan Kettering points to powerful alternatives to chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation in several forms of cancer.
According to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, nearly 80% of patients suffering from various cancer types were successfully treated with immunotherapy alone.
The immunotherapy protocol successfully treated 100% of patients with rectal cancer involved in the trial.
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“My husband, Tommy, and I were preparing for the worst,” recalls Maureen Sidelis, who was diagnosed with gastroesophageal junction cancer in 2022 and later became a participant in the trial.
Almost 80% of patients suffering from different cancer types were treated normally with immunotherapy alone, presupposed to the need for chemotherapy. (istock)
“After being treated with immunotherapy alone, I had no evidence of cancer and did not need surgery, chemotherapy or radiation,” she said in an MSK press release. “I felt like I won the lottery!”
Gastrointestinal oncologist Dr. Andrea Cerseck oversaw the research along with fellow gastrointestinal oncologist Dr. Lewis Diaz.
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The pair, according to the release, sought to develop this approach in part due to the adverse effects of traditional treatments.
The immunotherapy protocol successfully treated 100% of patients with rectal cancer involved in the trial. (Aaron Chown/PA images via Getty Images)
“Using standard treatments such as surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy to treat rectal cancer is effective,” Cercek said.
“However, treatment can leave people infertile and have serious consequences on intestines, urine and sexual function, as well as other aspects of daily life.”
“After being treated with immunotherapy alone, I had no evidence of cancer and did not need surgery, chemotherapy or radiation.”
All participants in the study were patients with stage 1 to stage 3 tumors. This means that the tumor has not yet spread.
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Tumors also have genetic mutations called mismatch repair deficiencies (MMRDs), making them particularly vulnerable to the type of immunotherapy called “checkpoint inhibitors.”
Checkpoint inhibitors are delivered intravenously to participants, “masking” tumor cells, making it easier for the body to fight them. (istock)
The therapy “masks” tumor cells, MSK said, making it easier for the patient’s own immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells.
The first clinical trials of treatment all began with only 18 patients with rectal cancer.
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“We knew there was a wide range of cancer types with this same MMRD gene mutation,” Cercek said. “We wanted this approach to help those facing these other cancers as well.”
An expanded trial, which includes 103 patients, had 49 patients with rectal cancer and 54 patients with other types of cancer. Participants received checkpoint inhibitor infusions intravenously for six months per release.
Of the 54 patients with cancer other than rectal cancer, 35 patients had all signs of cancer disappearing after immunotherapy. (istock)
There was no evidence of cancer following immunotherapy in all 49 patients with rectal cancer.
Various tests performed for the study showed that out of 54 patients with other cancers, 35 had all signs of cancer disappeared after treatment.
“This was a very important response and the results were even better than we wanted,” Cercek said. “We found that some types of cancer respond very well to immunotherapy such as colon and stomach cancer.”
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According to Celsek, the researchers believed that immunotherapy often reduces tumors and can further reduce the stages of some tumors in 20% of non-rectal cancer patients who still do not require surgery after therapy.
Dr. Timothy Yap, a medical oncologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, agrees that the effectiveness of immunotherapy treatments against multiple types of cancer is “exciting.”
“Responding patients can avoid benefits by avoiding the need for surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy and improving quality of life,” said one oncologist. (istock)
“We are constantly trying to improve treatment strategies for cancer patients through innovative clinical trials, and this is no exception,” YAP, who was not involved in the study, told Fox Digital.
“Responding patients may avoid the need for surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy and benefit from improving quality of life,” he said.
“This was a very important response and the outcome was even better than we wanted.”
Based on the results of the initial trial with rectal patients, the immunotherapy-only approach is incorporated into treatment guidelines from the National Cracerensive Cancer Network, a group of physicians setting up cancer treatments in the United States.
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Some of the first participants in the 2022 exam are still cancer-free for years after their initial treatment.
