A groundbreaking immunotherapy drug shows promising results in treating bowel cancer, potentially revolutionising traditional treatment methods. Pembrolizumab, known as Keytruda, targets a specific protein on immune cells, effectively eliminating cancer cells, according to The Guardian.
In a recent clinical trial led by multiple esteemed institutions, including University College London and the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, patients with stage two or three bowel cancer and a specific genetic profile were given pembrolizumab before surgery instead of conventional chemotherapy.
The Guardian reported that the results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting are remarkable: 59% of patients showed no signs of cancer after treatment, with the remaining 41% seeing cancer removed during surgery. Importantly, all patients were declared cancer-free after the treatment, a stark improvement compared to standard chemotherapy outcomes.
This approach not only increases the chances of curing the disease but also spares patients from the often harsh side effects of chemotherapy. Dr. Kai-Keen Shiu, the trial's chief investigator, highlights that pembrolizumab triples the chances of survival if the cancer responds completely to the treatment.
While further research is needed to establish pembrolizumab as a standard treatment, the initial findings are highly promising, suggesting the possibility of its integration into clinical practice within a few years. Bowel cancer, being a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, stands to benefit significantly from this potential breakthrough in treatment methodology.
Dr Marnix Jansen, a clinician and scientist at the UCL Cancer Institute, said more work needed to be done to assess pembrolizumab before it could be considered a standard treatment. "But given the quality of the outcomes in this trial, I think it's possible that we could see it in the clinic within a couple of years if subsequent trials are similarly successful."
