A revolutionary new cancer treatment that effectively trains the human body’s immune system to hunt down and destroy tumours has shown “extraordinary” results in clinical trials.
The treatment is centred on CARs-modified T-cells (immune cells that are removed from the patient, tagged as chimeric antigen receptors or Cars, which target cancer, and infused back into the body).
In one study the drug was given to 35 terminally ill patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. An incredible 94 per cent of participants saw all their symptoms disappear.
In tests on patients with blood cancers, 80 per cent of patients responded to the treatment and half went into complete remission. The next step will see the drug tested on solid tumours.
Lead scientist Professor Stanley Riddell of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle said:
“These are in patients that have failed everything. Most of the patients in our trial would be projected to have two to five months to live.
“This is extraordinary. This is unprecedented in medicine to be honest, to get response rates in this range in these very advanced patients.”
The groundbreaking research was presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting in Washington DC, where a team from San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan also showcased their work in developing a treatment that remembers cancer and prevents it from returning.
In trials, 10 patients who had bone marrow transplants were found to have the memory T-cells 14 years later, prompting hopes a cancer vaccine could be developed in the future.
One in three people in Ireland will develop cancer during their lifetime with an average of 30,000 new cases diagnosed each year. The number is expected to rise to over 40,000 per year by 2020.
