I don't know why hadn't heard about this before, but results from a small cancer trial that left EVERY PATIENT in remission is being praised as “unprecedented” and “remarkable.”

It's pretty amazing because it sounds like the initial thought was that this treatment would unmask cancer cells but they'd still need to receive chemotherapy or surgery to remove the cancer, and this study says that the immune system just took care of the cancer by itself!

It was only done on patients with rectal cancer, which is one of the most common forms of cancer, but I assume the same process would work on other cancers.

Quote:A paper published on Sunday at The New England Journal of Medicine outlined a study of 18 rectal cancer patients who were given dostarlimab every three weeks for six months and ended up cancer-free, including the first patient who is now two years out from the trial.

“I believe this is the first time this has happened in the history of cancer,” said Dr. Luis A. Diaz Jr. said, an author of the paper, The New York Times reported.
Dr. Andrea Cercek, an oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and another author of the paper, described “a lot of happy tears” at the end of the trial.
While noting the study needs replication, Dr. Kimmie Ng, a colorectal cancer expert from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and an associate professor at Harvard University, called the trial results “remarkable” and “unprecedented.”

“We initiated a prospective phase 2 study in which single-agent dostarlimab, an anti–PD-1 monoclonal antibody, was administered every 3 weeks for 6 months in patients with mismatch repair–deficient stage II or III rectal adenocarcinoma,” the study said. “This treatment was to be followed by standard chemoradiotherapy and surgery.”
Those who took the drug, which “unmasks cancer cells, allowing the immune system to identify and destroy them,” according to the Times, did not have to move on to further cancer treatments.
All the patients “had a clinical complete response, with no evidence of tumor on magnetic resonance imaging,” the paper explained. “At the time of this report, no patients had received chemoradiotherapy or undergone surgery, and no cases of progression or recurrence had been reported during follow-up (range, 6 to 25 months). No adverse events of grade 3 or higher have been reported.”

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Hanna K. Sanoff, MD, MPH, advised caution but said the findings were “very encouraging,” according to Science Daily.
“These initial findings of the remarkable benefit with the use of dostarlimab are very encouraging but also need to be viewed with caution until the results can be replicated in a larger and more diverse population,” Sanoff said.
“The responses in these first 12 of a planned-for 30 patients in the trial were remarkable and exceed what we would expect with the standard chemotherapy plus radiation,” she continued. “Although quality of life measures have not been reported yet, it’s encouraging that some of the most difficult symptoms, such as pain and bleeding, all resolved with the use of dostarlimab.”

Like they said, they need to wait to see if any long-term effects are present and I'd like to see how it works on other forms of cancer, but it's a pretty amazing breakthrough!

Brad, you have always shown a lot of interest in cancer research. Did you lose a friend or close family member to cancer?

(06-08-2022, 01:07 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: I don't know why hadn't heard about this before, but results from a small cancer trial that left EVERY PATIENT in remission is being praised as “unprecedented” and “remarkable.”

It's pretty amazing because it sounds like the initial thought was that this treatment would unmask cancer cells but they'd still need to receive chemotherapy or surgery to remove the cancer, and this study says that the immune system just took care of the cancer by itself!

It was only done on patients with rectal cancer, which is one of the most common forms of cancer, but I assume the same process would work on other cancers.


Like they said, they need to wait to see if any long-term effects are present and I'd like to see how it works on other forms of cancer, but it's a pretty amazing breakthrough!

This is remarkable. I have lost several immediate family members to cancer. Yet, one thing confuses me and the article didn't elaborate on it, but if the treatment helps the immune system kill the cancer, then why kill the immune system afterwards with radiation and chemo? I'm not an expert on cancer or even considered beneficially ignorant on the matter, but it seems like a legit question. Seems like removing the cancer through surgery is a safer option.

(06-08-2022, 02:08 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: This is remarkable. I have lost several immediate family members to cancer. Yet, one thing confuses me and the article didn't elaborate on it, but if the treatment helps the immune system kill the cancer, then why kill the immune system afterwards with radiation and chemo? I'm not an expert on cancer or even considered beneficially ignorant on the matter, but it seems like a legit question. Seems like removing the cancer through surgery is a safer option.

I thought the same thing when I first was reading it, but then I saw this part: 

Quote:Those who took the drug, which “unmasks cancer cells, allowing the immune system to identify and destroy them,” according to the Times, did not have to move on to further cancer treatments.

All the patients “had a clinical complete response, with no evidence of tumor on magnetic resonance imaging,” the paper explained. “At the time of this report, no patients had received chemoradiotherapy or undergone surgery, and no cases of progression or recurrence had been reported during follow-up (range, 6 to 25 months). No adverse events of grade 3 or higher have been reported.”

I don't know if that meant that they were expecting to need further treatments and they just didn't end up needing them or what.

My mom had a cancer that was removed with surgery but, other than that, I don't know of anyone in my family (up to 2nd or 3rd cousins) that has had cancer, so fingers crossed that I'll be ok. My mom's was minor and might not have even been cancer because I was very young and I just remember something happening where she couldn't have more children.

I hope it skips you or that they get these cures going for more types of cancer!

(06-08-2022, 02:41 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: I thought the same thing when I first was reading it, but then I saw this part: 




I don't know if that meant that they were expecting to need further treatments and they just didn't end up needing them or what.

My mom had a cancer that was removed with surgery but, other than that, I don't know of anyone in my family (up to 2nd or 3rd cousins) that has had cancer, so fingers crossed that I'll be ok. My mom's was minor and might not have even been cancer because I was very young and I just remember something happening where she couldn't have more children.

I hope it skips you or that they get these cures going for more types of cancer!

Ok. I misread what it said. I thought it was followed by, but said none had received. 

I suspect you haven’t heard about this before because the results were published three days ago.

The comments under the article are very interesting.

(06-08-2022, 03:38 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: The comments under the article are very interesting.

Just noticed those.

Quote:It won't matter. Big Pharma has a knack of spending hundreds of millions to acquire these promising medical advancements, only to have them completely disappear from the landscape. There is no profit in the cure, only the treatment.

Quote:Treat, never cure, there is no money in cure. And stop eating healthy food and taking supplements, there is no profit in that. The only way to stop you useless eaters is for us to ban supplements and have Bildo Gates keep buying ALL the farm land.

Quote:I wish I was more optimistic, but I agree. This will likely never find it's way into healthcare unless it can bring billions to powerful players.

Funny. I mentioned things like that and people on here ridiculed me and called me stupid, even though I initially heard the idea from a few of my college professors. My dad also said that's why there's no cure to diabetes (he's a diabetic and pretty damn smart).

The only bad part is that people in the comments said that the treatments might not work as well on immunocompromised people, which my immune system was destroyed in the wreck, which anyone that knows what happened to me realizes and knows that that's why I was able to get the Covid vaccine so early.

(06-08-2022, 03:58 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: The only bad part is that people in the comments said that the treatments might not work as well on immunocompromised people, 

Possibly, but the start is huge. If this thing is a good as we all hope, then it only progresses from here. 

(06-08-2022, 04:25 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Possibly, but the start is huge. If this thing is a good as we all hope, then it only progresses from here. 

Yep. Even before it progresses, you have to think they'll find a way to counter it with drugs, which seems like it is counterproductive to the elimination of the need for drugs with chemo and radiation, but it will still help tons of people, most likely be less-costly, and be a lot less harmful to the body.

(06-08-2022, 03:58 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: Just noticed those.





Funny. I mentioned things like that and people on here ridiculed me and called me stupid, even though I initially heard the idea from a few of my college professors. My dad also said that's why there's no cure to diabetes (he's a diabetic and pretty damn smart).

The only bad part is that people in the comments said that the treatments might not work as well on immunocompromised people, which my immune system was destroyed in the wreck, which anyone that knows what happened to me realizes and knows that that's why I was able to get the Covid vaccine so early.

Hypothetical situation: Your brother tells you he has cancer and only 6 months to live. My pharmaceutical company has the cure. You ask me how much. I tell you every cent you have. Every. Single. Cent.

Would you pay it? Or would you let your brother die?

(06-08-2022, 05:59 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: Hypothetical situation: Your brother tells you he has cancer and only 6 months to live. My pharmaceutical company has the cure. You ask me how much. I tell you every cent you have. Every. Single. Cent.

Would you pay it? Or would you let your brother die?

Pay it. We all can start over and I've been dirt poor before. Not that bad really once you learn how to live with what you got.

(06-08-2022, 05:59 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: Hypothetical situation: Your brother tells you he has cancer and only 6 months to live. My pharmaceutical company has the cure. You ask me how much. I tell you every cent you have. Every. Single. Cent.

Would you pay it? Or would you let your brother die?

Which brother??

(06-08-2022, 07:08 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Pay it. We all can start over and I've been dirt poor before. Not that bad really once you learn how to live with what you got.

That’s right. People are going to pay.

Not directed at you, but at the comments after the article, if Big Pharma can pay billions to suppress a medicine, that means Big Pharma could pay billions to acquire that medicine and make even more by selling it on the open market.

No profit in eating healthy and taking supplements? LOL. Publix’s net profit for the first three months of 2022 was over $600 billion. That’s just one supermarket chain in just three months.

Supplements are a $30 billion/year industry in the US alone and only 10% contain what’s listed on the label in the amounts listed. The other 90% are selling varying degrees of rice fillers.

So I shouldn’t have bought that $500 rice cooker?

**** off breech. My steel cut oats, cane sugar and whole milk recipe is going to save my leg.

Big Pharma makes more money from cures than treatments.

When there is no cure people often refuse the treatments like chemo and radiation. So Big Pharama loses money then.

People will pay whatever they have for a cure, but no so much for just a treatment.

(06-09-2022, 12:58 AM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: That’s right. People are going to pay.

Not directed at you, but at the comments after the article, if Big Pharma can pay billions to suppress a medicine, that means Big Pharma could pay billions to acquire that medicine and make even more by selling it on the open market.

No profit in eating healthy and taking supplements? LOL. Publix’s net profit for the first three months of 2022 was over $600 billion. That’s just one supermarket chain in just three months.

Supplements are a $30 billion/year industry in the US alone and only 10% contain what’s listed on the label in the amounts listed. The other 90% are selling varying degrees of rice fillers.

A few problems with your post.

First, a cure would be a one-time cost, whereas treatments are on an on-going expense. 

Second, it would be hard to patent a cure, so companies would just keep making it available at a cheaper cost or come up with their own cheaper cure. 

The medical profession has already cured many people's cancer with chemo and radiation. That ends the debate about the medical profession having a cure but refusing to use it.

The there is the fact that the medical profession has also cured may other diseases that they could have made a lot of money treating. Think of how much money they would be making treating polio if it was still around. Same with measles, chickenpox, malaria, smallpox, whooping cough and others.

(06-09-2022, 07:23 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: A few problems with your post.

First, a cure would be a one-time cost, whereas treatments are on an on-going expense. 

Second, it would be hard to patent a cure, so companies would just keep making it available at a cheaper cost or come up with their own cheaper cure. 

“ US patents on Harvoni and Epclusa do not expire until 2030 and 2032”

https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/comment/gilead-hep-c-generercs/

This always makes me think of the commercials for Cancer Centers of America and how disappointing this has to be for them.. Every time those commercials were on I used to think, "Damned..Now I wanna get cancer too!" 

Jokes aside..My mother died from a form of brain cancer.. Now the same cancer she died from is a routine outpatient procedure ..