A groundbreaking advance has taken place in the fight against cancer.
A pioneering therapy has been used to treat a deadly form of brain cancer, and the first three patients reportedly showed “dramatic responses within days.”
Researchers and surgeons at the Mass General Brigham healthcare system applied a new approach to CAR-T therapy—a highly complex, personalized treatment that harnesses the immune system to attack cancer cells.
The team treated three patients with recurrent glioblastoma using a modified version of CAR-T therapy that included additional antibodies. The results were striking.
According to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, one patient’s tumor shrank by 18.5% within just two days of treatment, and by day 69, the reduction had reached 60.7%. Another patient experienced what doctors described as a tumor that “regressed rapidly.”
Most astonishingly, the third patient showed “near-complete tumor regression” after a single infusion—achieved in only five days.
“The CAR-T platform has revolutionized how we think about treating patients with cancer, but solid tumors like glioblastoma have remained challenging to treat because not all cancer cells are exactly alike and cells within the tumor vary,” said Bryan Choi, MD, PhD, neurosurgeon and associate director of the Center for Brain Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy at the Mass General Cancer Center.
“Our approach combines two forms of therapy, allowing us to treat glioblastoma in a broader, potentially more effective way.”
Mass General Brigham noted that studies like this “show the promise of cell therapy for treating incurable conditions.”
While CAR-T therapy is most commonly used to treat blood cancers, this marks an early step toward adapting it for solid tumors.
Still, researchers caution that the trial was extremely small, involving only three patients. Although the results are remarkable, extensive studies are required before the treatment could be approved or widely available.
“We report a dramatic and rapid response in these three patients. Our work to date shows signs that we are making progress, but there is more to do,” said Elizabeth Gerstner, MD, neuro-oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Marcela Maus, MD, PhD, director of the Cellular Immunotherapy Program, echoed the cautious optimism: “These results are exciting, but they are also just the beginning—they tell us that we are on the right track in pursuing a therapy that has the potential to change the outlook for this intractable disease. We haven’t cured patients yet, but that is our audacious goal.”
Source: uniladtech.com