Report by Swasti Sharma
A small clinical trial of 18 rectal cancer patients took place (cancer related to rectum) where every patient took the same drug/ medicine for curing cancer – Dostarlimab.
Dostarlimab is an injection which is used to treat endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus or womb).
The patients were supposed to take the medicine for six months in a limited clinical trial done by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
None of the patients had clinically significant complications because of these drugs.
The medication was given every three weeks for six months and cost about $11,000 per dose.
It unveils cancer cells which helps the immune system to identify and destroy them.
Immunotherapy (treatment of disease with substances that stimulate the immune response) with a checkpoint inhibitor (type of immunotherapy) would allow such patients to avoid chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
The ones involved in the clinical experiment previously received treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and invasive surgery, all of which could cause bowel, urinary, and sexual dysfunction.
The 18 patients were expected to go through these surgeries as the next step in their treatment.
However, no more therapy was required for it. This is observed for the first time that just after immunotherapy, rectal cancer went away without the need for conventional therapies (like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy).
Though the results are very impressive, a larger clinical trial is needed before it can be confirmed that this drug can be used to cure cancer of the colon-rectum.
Image credits:Ewa Krawczyk/National Cancer Institute