Patients remain cancer-free nearly 3 years after receiving experimental immunotherapy
All participants participating in a trial bowel cancer patients were cancer-free for almost three years after receiving an experimental treatment.
The study, conducted by researchers at University College London and UCL Hospitals, suggests a short-term training is recommended. immunotherapy before surgery may produce better outcomes for some patients than the current standard of care.
The trial focused on 32 patients with stage 2 or 3 bowel cancer. These patients had tumors with a specific genetic profile called MMR deficiency or MSI elevation, according to a press release.
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This profile, found in approximately 10% to 15% of bowel cancer cases, indicates a faulty DNA repair system in the body, the researchers said. But scientists have suggested this could make it easier for immunotherapy drugs to find and attack tumors.
The drug shrank tumors so effectively that 59% of patients had no signs of cancer by the time of surgery.
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instead of taking standard chemotherapy After surgery, these patients were given a drug called pembrolizumab before surgery. Treatment lasted up to nine weeks.
Preliminary data showed that the drug shrank tumors so effectively that 59 percent of patients had no signs of cancer when they went into surgery.
The latest data confirm that after 33 months, none of these patients saw a return of the disease, including those who still had symptoms of the disease. small cancer scars What remains after surgery never grows or spreads again.
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“It is extremely encouraging to see that no patients have experienced a cancer recurrence after almost three years of follow-up and strengthens our confidence that pembrolizumab is a safe and highly effective treatment for cancer.” improve results Principal investigator Dr. “in patients with high-risk bowel cancer,” Kai-Keen Shiu said in the statement.
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With the traditional surgical approach followed by chemotherapy, the cancer returns within three years in about 25% of patients with this genetic profile, according to the study.
The study was a small trial with only 32 people and only looked at a specific genetic subset of patients.
The research team also personalized blood tests to monitor patients. These tests look for small fragments of tumor DNA in the bloodstream, allowing doctors to determine whether treatment is working before surgery.
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“When tumor DNA disappeared from the blood, patients were much more likely to be cancer-free, matching the long-term results we are now seeing,” lead author Yanrong Jiang, a clinical PhD student at the UCL Cancer Institute, said in the release.
The researchers noted that the study had limitations. this one little essay The study, which included just 32 people and only looked at a specific genetic subset of patients, means the results may not apply to everyone with bowel cancer.
“We can now predict who will respond to treatment using personalized blood tests and immune profile,” said one member of the research team.
Doctors also need to follow patients longer to make sure the cancer doesn’t return, they added.
Still, researchers shared optimism about its future. personalized care.
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“What is particularly exciting is that we can now predict who will respond to treatment using personalized blood tests and immune profiling,” Shiu said.
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“These tools can help us tailor our approach by identifying patients who are doing well and may need less treatment before and after surgery.”
The results were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2026 Annual Meeting in San Diego last month.
Original article source: Patients stay cancer-free for about 3 years after receiving experimental immunotherapy
