Doctors have stated that a drug capable of “melting away” tumors could significantly increase the chances of curing colorectal cancer and may even replace the need for surgery.
All patients participating in the trial of the drug Pembrolizumab have been reported to be tumor-free following a combined treatment of the drug and surgery.
Pembrolizumab targets a specific protein on the surface of immune cells. This allows the immune cells to seek out and destroy cancer cells.
Clinical trials have shown that using the drug prior to surgery, instead of chemotherapy, has led to a significant increase in the number of patients declared cancer-free. The trial results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world’s largest cancer conference.
Doctors and scientists note the increasing prevalence of colorectal cancer among individuals under 50 years old. (Photo: Getty Images).
The study was conducted by University College London, University College London Hospital, Christie NHS Foundation Trust – a cancer research center in Manchester, St James’s University Hospital in Leeds, Southampton University Hospital, and the University of Glasgow.
Professor Mark Saunders at Christie NHS Foundation Trust stated that the trial results are “truly exciting.” He analyzed, “The application of immunotherapy before surgery could be a turning point for patients with colorectal cancer. The results are not only better but also spare patients from undergoing chemotherapy, which often has many side effects. In the future, immunotherapy could even replace the need for surgery.”
Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses the patient’s own immune system to combat cancer.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are over 1.9 million new cases and more than 900,000 deaths annually due to colorectal cancer. In the trial, researchers selected 32 patients with stage two or three colorectal cancer, possessing certain genetic profiles from five hospitals in the UK.
Patients were administered Pembrolizumab, also known as Keytruda, for nine weeks prior to surgery instead of undergoing chemotherapy and surgery. After treatment, they were monitored over time. The results showed that 59% of patients had no signs of cancer after treatment with Pembrolizumab, and the remaining 41% successfully had their tumors removed during surgery.
All patients in the trial were cancer-free after treatment. In the coming years, the trial will also assess survival rates and recurrence. This approach means that patients do not need chemotherapy post-surgery.
Dr. Kai-Keen Shiu at University College London Hospital confirmed that it remains to be seen whether the patients in the trial do not experience cancer recurrence in the long term. However, he noted that the initial signs are positive.
“Immunotherapy can make tumors disappear before surgery. If you remove the tumor prior to surgery, the chances of survival can triple. If a patient responds completely to Pembrolizumab, their chances of survival could increase threefold. Patients also do not need chemotherapy afterward, allowing them to avoid side effects,” Dr. Shiu added.
Dr. Marnix Jansen at the Cancer Institute of University College London stated that more work needs to be done to evaluate Pembrolizumab before it can be considered a standard treatment method.
