After undergoing experimental immunotherapy, 12 patients with recurrent cancer (cancer that starts in the rectum, a few centimeters at the end of the colon) were surprised when doctors were told that their cancer was gone.
The patients, who were part of a small clinical trial led by researchers from the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center in New York, used an experimental drug known as dotarlimab.
Participants received a dose of dotarlimab every three weeks for six months, with the idea that they would have to undergo standard treatments of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery after treatment. However, the researchers found that in each case, the cancer disappeared only through experimental treatment.
"I believe this is the first time this has happened in the history of cancer," said Dr. Luis Diaz.
Immunotherapy utilizes the body's immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells.
Despite the positive finding for cancer treatment, more research is needed. Researchers will research to see if the same method can defeat other cancers.
