Alright, so there’s this new study in the New England Journal of Medicine that’s saying some people with early-stage cancers might be able to skip surgery after using this immunotherapy drug called dostarlimab. Pretty cool, right? In the study, 82 out of 103 folks responded so well to the drug that they didn’t even need surgery anymore. That’s pretty wild if you ask me.
The study was done at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. It’s like a big deal, you know? The results are looking good, but there’s a catch. The study was only at one hospital, and some patients haven’t been followed long enough to see if their cancer might come back. Plus, there weren’t a ton of patients for each type of cancer, so it’s hard to say if this works for everyone.
They were looking at patients with this genetic issue that makes it hard for their cells to fix DNA damage. So, it’s like a specific group of people who could benefit from this treatment. Dr. Luis Diaz, one of the folks behind the study, said they kind of picked themselves because they had this genetic thing going on. It only happens in like 2% to 3% of all cancer patients, so it’s pretty rare.
Usually, when people have early-stage cancers, they need surgery to try and get rid of it. And sometimes, even after surgery, they have to deal with chemo or radiation. It’s a whole thing, you know? Surgery can mess with your life, especially if it’s on your belly or digestive organs. People might lose parts of their stomach or esophagus, which makes eating tough. Or they might need a bag for their stool or lose the ability to get pregnant. It’s not fun stuff.
But get this, all 49 patients with early-stage rectal cancer who got six months of immunotherapy didn’t even need surgery. Their tumors were gone after six months of treatment. And two years later, 92% were still cancer-free. Some of them even had kids! Like, they wouldn’t have been able to if they went through the usual treatment. It’s pretty amazing.
For other early-stage cancers, 35 out of 54 folks were cancer-free after immunotherapy and didn’t need surgery. But a couple of them still went for surgery for different reasons. Two patients whose cancers came back were treated again successfully. So, it’s not a perfect solution yet, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Dr. Andrea Cercek, another one of the study authors, is hopeful for the future. She thinks that by combining different treatments with this immunotherapy, they can help more people avoid surgery. They’re working on expanding the study to more patients so they can offer this treatment to more folks. It’s like opening a whole new door for cancer treatment.
Overall, this study is pretty exciting. It’s showing that maybe, just maybe, some people with early-stage cancers won’t have to go through major surgery anymore. It’s a game-changer for those lucky few with the right genetic issue. Who knows, maybe one day this will be the new standard of care for cancer patients everywhere. That would be something, wouldn’t it?
