For the first time in medical history, a critical breakthrough seems to have been achieved as a clinical trial in the United States has provided a fresh breath of life to millions of cancer patients around the world.
A batch of 12 patients of rectal cancer at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York have exhibited a total eradication of the cancer cells from their bodies after receiving a continual dosage of the Dostarlimab drug for a period of six months.
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What were the trials about?
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According to the reports published by Dr. Luis A Diaz Jr in the in the New England Journal of Medicine- the trials were aimed at treating patients of ‘mismatch repair-deficient colorectal cancer- a special kind of rectal cancer which responds to programmed death 1 (PD-1) blockade in the metastasis, i.e., the spread of cancer cells from the place of origin to other parts of the body.
These trials exclusively employed the Dostarlimab agent for every three weeks for six months in patients of stage two or three rectal adenocarcinoma, without any chemo or radiotherapy or surgery that has been the standard treatment till now.
What was concluded from the trials?
All the 12 patients to have undergone the Dostarlimab therapy had a complete clinical response without any tumour, progression or recurrence. These patients have depicted these results solely with the Dostarlimab therapy and no surgery or chemo or radio therapy was involved in it.
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“I believe this is the first time this has happened in the history of cancer,” Dr Diaz said. “No cases of progression or recurrence had been reported during the follow-up,” he further added.
Even after 25 months of the therapy the patients who have undergone this therapy have shown zero to negligible post-therapy complications.
What is Dostarlimab?
Dostarlimab is an experimental anti–PD-1 monoclonal antibody drug, which contains laboratory-produced molecules, working as substitute antibodies. It was first approved for medical use in the United States in 2021, the side-effects of this drug includes vomiting, joint pain, itching, rash, fever etc.
How does the Dostarlimab therapy work?
The Dostarlimab therapy belongs to the category of PD1 Blockades which is recommended in such cases. The PD1 Blockade therapy is aimed at releasing the T cells from this suppression of the T cell activity of the immune system. Such suppressions are regulated by the PD1 proteins.
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The patients of mismatch repair deficient cancer conditions do not possess the genes to rectify the anomalous DNAs, which leads to the promulgation of carcinogenic cells. Here the PD1 acts as inhibitors for the T cells and thus the PD1 blockades accelerates the T cell suppression which further destroys the cancer cells.
In other words, the Dostarlimab therapy works by exposing the cancer cells to the T cell suppression, which further assists the immune system identify and destroy the cells.
The efficiency of drug is yet to be established as the sample size although promising is really small. A much bigger scale tests are awaited to substantiate the research findings further.
Doctors and scientists are hopeful that the research further shall provide positive results and the therapy is availed to the 18.1 million cancer patients around the world.
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