Does Monoclonal Antibody Cure Colorectal Cancer? Report
No more surgery, radio or chemotherapy for a specific colorectal cancer thanks to a monoclonal antibody. Here's what some researchers in the United States found
Immunotherapy with dostarlimab, a monoclonal antibody, completely cured 12 patients with colorectal cancer without resorting to surgery, radio or chemotherapy.
The study , published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the World Congress of Oncology in Asco, was conducted in the United States by researchers at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (Msk).
THE TREATMENT
The 12 patients, whose average age is 54 years, with locally advanced colorectal cancer (stage II or III) and with a deficiency in the function of the DNA repair system (MMR), which is a condition associated with a decrease in survival and to a lesser response to chemotherapy, they received intravenous anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, ie dostarlimab alone, every three weeks for six months.
Treatment with dostarlimab was supposed to have followed a course of radiochemotherapy or surgery, but in all 12 patients, the study reads, "a complete clinical response, with no evidence of tumor to magnetic resonance imaging, tomography emission of positron with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, at endoscopic evaluation, rectal examination or biopsy ", already only with the monoclonal antibody.
Very proud of our study published in @NEJM . 100% clinical complete response with dostarlimab alone in mismatch repair-deficient locally advanced #RectalCancer . No radiation or surgery! @ASCO # ASCO22 @MSKCancerCenter https://t.co/sZypoHBtj7
– Andrea Cercek (@AndreaCercek) June 5, 2022
THE MONOCLONAL DOSTARLIMAB
The dostarlimab monoclonal antibody is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (Fda) for use in the treatment of endometrial cancer.
In the case of colorectal cancer, it is therefore an off-label use.
THE ROLE OF IMMUNOTHERAPY
Doctors Andrea Cercek and Luis Alberto Diaz, principal authors of the study, wanted to understand if and how immunotherapy could defeat cancer.
Their team's research, a note from the MSK said, was spurred by two key ideas. The first was to understand precisely which patients benefit most from immunotherapy, so that they can receive it right away.
In fact, these were patients with a functional deficit of the DNA repair system. The statement reports that between 5% and 10% of all colorectal cancer patients have cancers of this type.
IMPROVE THE LIFE OF PATIENTS
The second premise of the clinical study, the research authors report, was to avoid the toxicity often associated with colorectal cancer treatment.
In fact, Dr. Cercek explained that "the standard treatment for colorectal cancer with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy can be particularly difficult for people due to the location of the tumor". Patients "may suffer from life-changing bowel and bladder dysfunction, incontinence, infertility, sexual dysfunction and more."
And "obviously this can also lead to many self-esteem and psychiatric problems," said Diaz.
“The most exciting part of all this – added Cercek – is that each of our patients only needs immunotherapy. We have not irradiated anyone and we have not undergone any surgery. They preserved normal intestinal function, bladder function, sexual function, fertility. Women have their own uterus and ovaries. It is remarkable ”.
THE NUMBERS
According to the MSK note, every year 45,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer and the report "Cancer numbers in Italy" of 2021 states that in 2020 approximately 43,700 new diagnoses were estimated (men = 23,400; women = 20,300) and 21,700 deaths (men = 11,500; women = 10,200).
A HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
Although we are talking about a very small study for now, the results are extraordinary, which is why at MSK they intend to continue and deepen the experimentation.
"We are investigating whether this same method can help with other types of cancer […] We are currently enrolling patients with gastric, prostatic and pancreatic cancers," said Diaz, who coined a term for this new treatment, calling it "immunoablative" therapy. , that is, “immunotherapy in place of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation to remove the cancer”.
And he added: "It might sound futuristic, but in this study we have a clinical example where this happened."
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/anticorpo-monoclonale-guarisce-il-tumore-del-colon-retto-report/ on Wed, 08 Jun 2022 08:27:23 +0000.