03 June 2024 , 14:52
479
0
An innovative immunotherapy drug could potentially eliminate the need for surgery and chemotherapy in bowel cancer patients - following a trial where it effectively treated 100 per cent of participants.
GSK announced these "unprecedented results" at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference in Chicago, highlighting that all Jemperli patients showed no signs of disease. The trial focused on patients with locally advanced mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) rectal cancer, a specific type of bowel cancer. Jemperli is already available on the NHS for treating certain advanced or recurrent womb cancers.
Remarkably, every one of the 42 patients involved in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre-led study in the US responded completely to the treatment, showing no tumour evidence on subsequent scans. The initial group of 24 patients has been monitored for an average of 26.3 months.
Mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) rectal cancer makes up about 5-10 per cent of all rectal cancer cases. Hesham Abdullah, a senior vice president at GSK, expressed excitement over the findings: "The data showing no evidence of disease in 42 patients is remarkable." He added: "These results bring us one step closer to understanding the potential of dostarlimab in this curative-intent setting for patients with dMMR locally advanced rectal cancer. We look forward to evaluating dostarlimab in certain colorectal cancers in our ongoing AZUR-1 and AZUR-2 registrational studies."
The usual treatment for this cancer type involves chemotherapy and radiation, then surgery, reports Gloucestershire Live. However, Andrea Cercek, the lead researcher of the phase II study, highlighted a ground-breaking alternative, stating the new treatment achieved "durable complete tumour regression without the need for life-altering treatment" such as chemotherapy and surgery.
Hospitals run out of oxygen and mortuaries full amid NHS chaos
She added: "As a clinician, I've seen first-hand the debilitating impact of standard treatment of dMMR rectal cancer and am thrilled about the potential of dostarlimab in these patients."