A recent UK-based clinical trial has demonstrated remarkable success using immunotherapy to treat bowel cancer. The trial, involving 32 patients with stage two or three bowel cancer and a specific genetic profile, resulted in all participants being disease-free after treatment with pembrolizumab. This outcome represents a significant advancement in bowel cancer therapy, potentially offering a more effective alternative to traditional chemotherapy and surgery.
The trial, conducted across five hospitals in the UK, focused on patients with a genetic makeup present in 10-15% of stage two or three bowel cancer cases, equating to approximately 2,000-3,000 individuals annually. Instead of the standard chemotherapy before surgery, participants received pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy drug, for nine weeks prior to their operations.
Staggering Results
The results of the trial were striking. 59% of patients showed no signs of cancer following pembrolizumab treatment alone. The remaining 41% underwent surgery to remove any remaining cancer. Crucially, all patients were cancer-free after the trial and remained so in the months following treatment. This contrasts sharply with the less than 5% cancer-free rate typically observed with standard chemotherapy and surgery in similar patients.
Dr. Kai-Keen Shiu, UCLH consultant medical oncologist and chief investigator of the trial, stated, "Our results indicate that pembrolizumab is a safe and highly effective treatment to improve outcomes in patients with high-risk bowel cancers, increasing the chances of curing the disease at an early stage."
Patient Experience
Darren Evans, a 47-year-old participant from Cambridgeshire, shared his positive experience: "The immune therapy I received before surgery shrunk my tumour from around the size of a golf ball, down to almost nothing... The therapy did an incredible job at reducing the tumour size, all in around the space of six weeks, with very minimal side effects."
Implications and Future Research
While these initial findings are promising, experts emphasize the need for further research and longer-term follow-up to confirm the durability of the response. Professor Mark Saunders, a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at The Christie, expressed cautious optimism, suggesting that "In the future, immunotherapy may even replace the need for surgery," while also noting that "more trials are needed to confirm these exciting early results."
The trial's success highlights the potential of immunotherapy in treating bowel cancer, particularly in patients with specific genetic profiles. If these results are sustained over time and validated in larger studies, pembrolizumab could become a standard treatment option, significantly improving outcomes for a subset of bowel cancer patients.
